Jack Stollsteimer for Attorney General

HAVERTOWN, Pa - Jack Stollsteimer announced today that he is running for Attorney General of Pennsylvania and will be seeking the Democratic nomination in the 2016 Primary.
Stollsteimer has spent much of his legal career as a criminal prosecutor, both as an Assistant District Attorney in Delaware County and as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
In 2006, Stollsteimer was appointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania as the Safe Schools Advocate for the Philadelphia School District. As the Advocate, he brought to light the District’s underreporting of violent crimes in schools and its failure to discipline violent students in accordance with the District’s own Student Code of Conduct. His work resulted in changes in District policy, establishing a safer environment for both children and teachers within Philadelphia’s schools.
"I have established a long track record for protecting Pennsylvanians from crime," said Stollsteimer. "It is time to take that proven track record and put it to work again so that the citizens of our Commonwealth are assured that they have someone as their chief law enforcement officer who is 100 percent focused on keeping them safe."
Jack Stollsteimer, born in Philadelphia, currently resides in Delaware County with his wife and two children.

 Website and Facebook page



Kathleen Kane is in a world of trouble so now the  sharks are circling the waters. Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli is exploring a bid.  Blog buddy Bernie of LVR thinks he should take over now.
 Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro is being mentioned as possible candidate but then again the great mentioner is always mentioning Shapiro to be running for something.

2 other row offices are also up next year. Auditor General and Treasurer. 

Kane: Boys should not be able to look at porn

 Attorney General Kathleen Kane said she is a victim of a witch hunt because she exposed some people were looking at porn.

That was her defense to charges that she committed perjury, obstructing the administration of law, official oppression, conspiracy and false swearing for releasing information from a 2009 grand jury probe to a Philadelphia newspaper in 2014.

She contends that the charges popped up right after the email porn scandal although she said  her defense wouldn’t be that an old boys network was after her.


“My defense will be I broke no laws of this Commonwealth. Period,” she stated.

Then there is her confusion about movies. PennLive:   "Boondog Millionaire" at the news conference, which left some wondering did she mean "Slumdog Millionaire" or "Boondock Saints"?

Sources:

Kane plans to stay attorney general, fight

 BREAKING: Kathleen Kane Seeks to Shift Focus in Press Conference

 

In somewhat related news Kane's company is shelving natural gas trucks because one of them exploded via Scott Cannon:

Kane Trucking mothballs natural gas trucks after fire, sues maker

 

 

Never trust a politician that doesn't pay her parking tickets

Pic from here

Attorney General  Kathleen Kane  has been mired in controversy since she took office. She has burned through  staff members including about  57 press secretaries. Our own Joe Peters didn't last long. It's been one thing after another from not prosecuting a corruption case in Philly to leaking Grand Jury information. She can't manage and her office is a mess. 

Now multiple sources say she will be charged with a crime tomorrow. 

When I wrote a post about her not paying her parking tickets many  said that was not important and was the oldest attack in the book.  Sue Henry on WILK thought it was important and it even made it to the afternoon show.

I think that every elected official should obey the law and pay the fine when they commit a minor infraction. Especially someone who is charged with the duty to enforce the law and prosecute those who do not follow it.  The Ticket thing just smacks of an old arrogance of 'I'm important and only the little people have to do that, not me.' It should have been a warning siren. 

Patrick Murphy nominated by the President

This email from the White House popped into my inbox:

Patrick J. Murphy, Nominee for Under Secretary of the Army, Department of Defense

Patrick J. Murphy is a Partner at the law firm of Fox Rothschild LLP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.  He has also served on the Board of Visitors to the United States Military Academy since 2011.  As the first Iraq War veteran elected to the U.S. Congress, Mr. Murphy represented the 8th District of Pennsylvania in the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011.  He served on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the House Appropriations Committee.  From 2003 to 2004, he was deployed to Iraq as a paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, where he earned the Bronze Star for Service.  In 2001, Mr. Murphy volunteered for overseas deployment and was deployed to Bosnia in 2002.  Prior to that, he served as a commissioned officer in the Army Reserve from 1996 to 2000.  Mr. Murphy received a B.A. from King’s College and a J.D. from Widener University School of Law.

 I have to admit that I'm partial to fellow vet Murphy a graduate of King's College who had the honor of introducing President Clinton when he visited Wilkes-Barre in 1996. The first time I met him he told me "I read your blog." He attended the fall 2011 Blogfest driving through a monsoon to get there. He has been hosting a Sunday show on MSNBC "Taking the Hill" that  focused on military service, progressive politics, and national service. 

I thought he was the better candidate in the 2012 Attorney General race than  Kathleen Kane. Headlines like this prove me right.

AG Kane to face criminal charges, sources say

The day after

I was up late so I feel like the guy pictured above.

The President was reelected and I have been reading some apocalyptic things on right wing blogs and Facebook. Relax people. We lived through 8 years of Bush and you will survive 8 years of Obama. The late Bob Novak once said something that has stuck with me. The President doesn't run the country, the people do. The economy will improve no matter who is President, it's called the business cycle. The Republicans should have won this election but they nominated a candidate that didn't believe in anything except he wanted to be President. Romney switched so many positions in so many elections you couldn't trust him. That and the steady stream of lies from his campaign. See Mitt's Mendacity Vol I thru XLI.

Pennsylvania made history by electing the first Democrat and woman as Attorney General.I hope she digs into Tom Corbett's handling of the Sandusky investigation.

Senator Bob Casey beat back the coal guy 54%-47%.  he spent a big chunk of his own  money on  a losing cause. Coal and Oil are not our future.


No surprises in the local races for Congress. Tom Marino won 2-1 and Matt Cartwright gathered 60% of the vote as predicted. Gene Stilp ran a fun campaign but you still need money to win. Lou Barletta will continue to defend us against the Barbarians at the Gate

The incumbent state house member were returned for another term.

The photos of Tarah Toohil probably helped her as we all have done things we are not proud of.  It was dirty pool by someone who wanted to hurt her but the Democratic candidate or party had nothing to do with it.She won 67% of the vote.

Rick Arnold got a late start and it wasn't enough to beat Jerry Mullery. Mullery improved his performance from 2010 winning 61%-39%.

The 120th HD race was near and dear to my heart. Phyllis Mundy has been a friend for some time and is my xxx favorite legislator. Aaron Kaufer became a pal and ran a great campaign that gave Phyllis the run of her political career. In the end Kaufer got more votes than any other challenger over the last 20 years but came up short. He will be back. Phyllis won 56-44 improving on the 53% she got last time.

Now the speculation begins about the 2016 Presidential candidates. I predict that Hillary won't be one of them because President Obama will appoint her to the Supreme Court.

On to the 2013 local elections. Walter Griffith is running for reelection as Luzerne County Controller and Bob Morgan may take him on again. Steve Urban is also making noise about a Controller run. Some seats on the Luzerne County Council will also be up.

Pennsylania polls

There are 4 statewide races on the ballot tomorrow.

In the US Senate race Bob Casey (D) sort of fell asleep while Tom Smith (R) spent millions on TV ads singing the praises of coal. If I see that ad with that kid with the southern accent blaming the President and Casey for losing his job one more time because of regulations  I'm going to throw up. The fact that natural gas prices have decreased because of shale drilling is why utilities are switching to gas powered generators and need less coal. I thought Republicans believed in market forces. I think Casey holds on.


Kathleen Kane will be the next Attorney General of Pennsylvania. She has had a double digit lead in every public poll since the primary. I was a big supporter of Patrick Murphy in the primary but poor turnout in Philadelphia and the suburbs sunk him. I had a nice chat with David Freed at the Luzerne County GOP picnic in August. On my way out I told David Freed that I thought the AG's office would be in good hands whoever won. He said he felt the same way after the primary. He respects his opponent. Now that we are in closing days the ads have got tough. I really like that the Freed camp cited my Parking Ticket post in an ad but attributed it to WILK

Incumbent Treasurer Rob McCord, a Democrat from Bryn Mawr,will win big.  Republican challenger Diana Irey Vaughan, is  a Washington County commissioner,
Libertarian Patricia Fryman, the retired auditor of Venango County, is also on the ballot.

Auditor General is going down to the wire. Both candidates are on the air.  Rep. Eugene DePasquale, a Democrat from York County, and Rep. John Maher, a Republican from Allegheny County. I think they are also running for reelection as state reps. I don't think it should be allowed to run for 2 offices like Joe Lieberman or Paul Ryan. This is tossup but it's a Democratic year in PA. DePasquale wins.

 Kevin Blaum backs Maher .

Reloading Pennsylvania polls

Something screwy is going on with the polls on the sidebar. Every time I refresh the page the number of votes casts decreases. So I deleted them and put them up again. I hope that fixes the problem, we will see.

So vote again folks.

The question is who do you think will win the election not who you are voting for.

We start off with the national and statewide elections.

Will President Obama be reelected or will mittmentum sweep Governor Romney into the White House?

Can Tom Smith leave Bob Casey in the coal dust?

Do PA voters voters make history by electing Kathleen Kane as the first woman Attorney General  or continue the Republican streak by going for David Freed?

Please vote on the left sidebar and tell us your predictions in the comments.

Upcoming events

Today 120th HD Republican candidate Aaron Kaufer is having a meet and greet or cookout depending if you read his PR or Facebook page at the Shavertown Shopping Center parking lot

148 N. Memorial Highway, Shavertown, Pa. 18708 2-4PM

 Free hot dogs and soda will be provided. Republican and Democrat elected officials in support of Aaron will be in attendance to show support for him. All are invited to attend.

I can't wait to see what Democratic elected officials will risk the wrath of Phyllis by showing up for this. 

A big chunk of what passes as the Republican 'establishment' around here will be elsewhere at the same time. Bad move by the Kaufer camp on scheduling. 

It competes with this gathering.

Conservative Voter Rally  

Saturday, October 20, 2012  11:30am until 3:30pm

 

 

Genetti Ballrooms Inn & Suites

1341 N Church St, Hazleton, Pennsylvania

 

Special guest speakers include: Lou Barletta (U.S. Congressman), Sam Rohrer (Pres., PA Pastors Network), Tarah Toohil (PA House of Representatives), David Madeira (The David Madeira Show), Bob Zaruta (Pres., Luzerne Co. Young Republicans), and Laureen Cummings (Candidate for U.S. Congress).

Sunday is

Youth in Politics  at 

The Appletree Terrace

4 Newberry Estate, Dallas, Pennsylvania 18612

 

5-8PM

This year we will present the Young Republican of the Year Award to District Attorney, Stefanie Salavantis. The award will be presented by last year's winner, State Rep. Tarah Toohil.

We will also be presenting the first annual P.J. Stebbins Award. ... This year's award will be given to fellow Young Republican, Aaron Kaufer. 

 

With all the controversy swirling around Tarah Toohil right now we will see if she shows up for these events or catches a cold. I was invited by YR Prez Bob Zaruta  to the dinner and plan to ask her some questions.  

 

On Monday there is the PA Attorney General Date on PCN 

Legislative Correspondents’ Association Candidate Debate for the Attorney General with Democratic candidate Kathleen Kane and Republican candidate David Freed 7-8PM

And a feedbag for Senator Bob Casey

Monday, October 22, 2012
5:30-7:30 PM

Colarusso’s La Palazzo
4500 Birney Avenue
Moosic, PA 18507

 

On Facebook

 

Tuesday there are 2 events I would like to go to but we will be at the Kirby Center for the Australian Pink Floyd show. Mrs. G said that politics is music to my ears but that is not true. 

In the 120th HD the League of Women's voters will host a forum with incumbent Phyllis Mundy (D) and her challenger Aaron Kaufer (R) at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 at Wyoming Seminary's Buckingham Performing Arts Center.

 

 LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY:


Tuesday Oct. 23rd 7pm - 9pm


*111th HD  Representative Sandra Major and her opponent Mr. Jeffrey Dahlander.

PA Attorney General race

The David Freed camp put out a press release slamming Kathleen Kane for going to the Democratic Convention in Charlotte pointing out that he skipped the festivities in Tampa. 


HARRISBURG, PA – As the 2012 election cycle marks its final 9 weeks today, Kathleen Kane’s first priority after the Labor Day weekend is to jet off to sunny Charlotte to join party kingmakers at the Democratic National Convention.

Last week, during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Cumberland County District Attorney and candidate for Attorney General, David Freed, spent the week traveling Pennsylvania, stopping in Centre County, Dauphin County, Lehigh County, Philadelphia County, Montgomery County, Luzerne County, Bradford County, Wyoming County, Sullivan County, and Lackawanna County to name a few.
This week’s schedule is very much the same as Freed travels the state, connecting with voters and activists.
“Pennsylvania voters deserve an experienced leader to represent them as the commonwealth’s chief law enforcement officer – not someone who prefers hobnobbing out-of-state with power-brokers and career politicians,” said Freed campaign manager, Tim Kelly.
Kelly continues, “Out of touch politicians are certainly not in short supply. That doesn’t mean we should elect another one as our next Attorney General.” 

This is true. I had the pleasure of meeting David Freed at the Luzerne County GOP picnic. 

He has a big hill to climb as the latest polls show Kane winning big 40-29. Not to read to much into the poll results but I think people like the idea of a woman as Attorney General especially after the Sandusky thing.

Kathleen Kane on Voter ID

Kathleen Kane today called on the Corbett Administration and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General to remove roadblocks to efforts determining whether Pennsylvania’s new Voter ID law violates voters’ constitutional rights.

“The U.S. Attorney General is authorized under the Voting Rights Act to investigate whether political processes discriminate against the voting rights of minorities,” Kane said. “Rather than stonewalling, Pennsylvania should be making every effort to fulfill the Department of Justice’s request to ensure that no Pennsylvanians are disenfranchised by this law.”

It was reported earlier this week that the Corbett Administration is resisting a July 23, 2012 request of the Department of Justice to compile and send information about the Voter ID law as part of the Department’s examination into whether the new law is discriminatory.

“The Corbett Administration claims that DOJ does not have authority to seek this information. That argument is just not legall

y valid.” Kane added. “Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race or color, requires examination of the ‘totality of circumstances’ in determining whether a violation has occurred. This request for information to determine the totality of the circumstances is a reasonable and responsible inquiry by DOJ. “The Administration should stop playing politics and comply.”

Kane says Corbett impeding review of voter ID law

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/22/4748888/kane-says-corbett-impeding-review.html#storylink=cpy

Pennsylvania polling

In the Presidential race Republican leaning polling outfit Rasmussen Reports has President Obama leading Mitt Romney 47%-41% and the Democratic leaning pollster Public Policy Polling has a similar result with Obama topping Romney 50%-42%. The PPP crosstabs are interesting with the President's favorables about even but Romney is way underwater with 51% unfavorable to just 37% favorable. Governor Tom Corbett is also not well thought of with 50% disapproving of his job performance vs. 37% in favor.

In the Senate race Bob Casey has a 49% to 33%  lead over Bob Smith.  Smith and Steve Welch attacked each other for voting for Democrats in the past during the primary that probably left a bad taste in the mouth of Welch supporters and the state GOP. Smith's name recognition went up but so did his unfavorables.The more people get to know him the less they like him.

Democratic Attorney General candidate Kathleen Kane has the early lead over David Freed 42%-33% with 25% undecided. The hard fought primary with Patrick Murphy helped her get her name out there and Murphy's endorsement helps to close the the ranks of Democrats.Patrick is always a class act.

“Primaries are never easy. But it’s important to remember that this was a family fight. Now that it’s over, we must come together and rally behind our nominee. That’s why I am endorsing Kathleen Kane for Attorney General. Because in the end, Kathleen is Pennsylvania’s best choice for Attorney General,” Murphy said.

The contests for Auditor General and Treasurer are a wash at this point.

In other political news Nancy Pelosi  will be in town for a wedding and will make a side trip to help out 17th CD Democratic nominee Matt Cartwright raise money at a 10:30 a.m. lunch June 9 at the Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel in Scranton. That's early for this nocturnal blogger and a bit expensive.

The Republicans are always looking for some sort of  boogeyman and the soft spoken Grandmother from Sodom on the San Andreas fits the bill. Lately Chicago style  Democrats (corrupt)has replaced San Francisco Democrats (gay) in their lexicon.

Kane leads Attonery General's race

PoliticsPA reports that Kathleen Kane is up big over David Freed in the PA AG race according to an internal poll from the Kane campaign.

Kathleen Kane has emerged from her contested primary with momentum, a poll conducted by her campaign shows. She leads Republican Dave Freed 48 percent to 27 percent.

The hard fought primary with Patrick Murphy definitely raised her name ID and it shows in this poll. I don't discount internal polls like many do because if the polling outfit get's it wrong they lose credibility and aren't likely to get hired again. I think that primary campaigns help the eventual winner unless they get out of hand like what happened in the 2008 10th CD Republican primary contest. Governor Tom Cabot and the PA GOP driving out John Rafferty may have hurt Freed. I'm not ready to declare victory for Kane unlike my friend from NEPartsan  "Kane, I think, is a winner.  I’ll even call it now." I thought that Murphy would win the primary easy, shows what I know. Campaigns matter and there is long way to go. 

David Freed put out a web video that I picked up from his Facebook page. It's titled "I Represent the Commonwealth."

He starts out giving his qualifications saying he is the only  elected prosecutor in the race who has been efficient running his office. Then he gives the crowd of Republicans some red meat  bringing up the death penalty. At 2:20 in the video he says " the drug dealers will not know what hit them when we get into the Attorney General's office." I'm not sure what to make of that statement. Is he admitting that all t he last  Republican Attorney General's have failed in the War on Drugs. More and more  people have been locked up over drug offenses over the last 50 years and yet the poison is more available than ever before. That flies in the face of his statement that we should be smart on crime and should be talking about how to keep people out of jail. How many politicians have promised to lock up all the drug dealers? That's worked out well. Such claptrap. Then he rails against unconstitutional power grabs by the Federal Government like Obamcare  and "unconstitutional" EPA regulations. "We are going to stand up to the Federal Government.." That should work out, after you get sick because your air and water are polluted you won't be able to get health care. Does this guy want to be a prosecutor or a legislator? 

 

Check out his eyes.

Looking to the fall: PA row offices

Other than the Attorney General's race I  ignored the other constitutional offices in the primary.

Incumbent Rob McCord is being challenged by Republican Diana Irey to be the next State Treasurer.

In the the Auditor General's race  Democrat Eugene DePasquale will face off with GOP nominee John Maher to succeeded Jack Wagner.

I should probably smash my crystal ball but that would deprive many of you from beating me up in the comments. Right now I would say that Kathleen Kane is the early favorite to best David Freed in the Attorney General race. My guy, Patrick Murphy,  lost the primary after a hard fought contest. Now is the time for Democrats to close ranks and support Kane.

Victory Party

If you want to celebrate with your candidate tonight here is where to find some of them.

Patrick Murphy
  

FOP Lodge 5, 1331 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Kathleen Kane  

Radisson Lackawanna Station starting at 8 pm.
700 Lackawanna Ave.
Scranton, PA 18503

Matt Cartwright

Scranton Hilton, Medallion Room, 8 pm.

Tim Holden

???

Bill Vinsko

 American Legion, 23 West Broad Street , Nanticoke , Pennsylvania starting at 8:30 PM

Parick Murphy wins easy

Right from the beginning of this race I thought that Patrick Murphy would be the next Attorney General of Pennsylvania.Kathleen Kane has mounted a good effort but will come up short.our online poll is showing that you my dear readers agree with me 3 to 1.   Murphy will run up big numbers in Philadelphia and the suburbs. He has been in Pittsburgh for the last few weeks and that should pay off.  The parking meter thing in W-B may help Kane in W-B.

Closing arguments in the PA Attorney General race

Kathleen Kane is highlighting her endorsement by former President Bill Clinton who said “ she has a steel spine and a caring heart.” My friend Tom of NEPartisan went to the rally in the Philly suburbs and was wowed by Clinton just as I was when he came to Nantikoke to get Congressman Kanjorski reelected 2010. That worked out well for Kanjo. Clinton was paying back Kanjorski for his backing of Hillary in the 2008 Presidential race and he is paying back a similar chit to Kane .


This race started out with 2 very attractive candidates touting their credentials to become  the first elected  Democratic Attorney General in Pennsylvania history. Just like most races the closing days have seen both camps attacking the other. The knock on Patrick Murphy is that he took the bar exam in Minnesota instead of PA and hasn't prosecuted a case in the state      NEPartisan has a video of Patrick Murphy that was shopped around by the Kane campaign. VoteVets  pushed backed saying  the campaign of Kathleen Kane has demeaned the service of Patrick Murphy in the US Army, by claiming he has not been a prosecutor, despite the hundreds of cases he tried in the Army


The hits on Kane are more substantial. Borys noticed that Kane is talking out both sides of her mouth on the Employee Free Choice Act also known as card check. Her family's trucking company Kane is Able is non union and their drivers make substantially less than unionized drivers. Most of her campaign money has come from her husband and other family members to the tune of 2+ million dollars. I talked to a Kane driver on Friday who told me he and his coworkers were miffed after hearing that news. She denies being an executive of Kane is Able but signs FEC reports as an executive of Kane is Able. Kane's claim that she has prosecuted 3000 cases has been scrutinized but only a few dozen have actually gone to trial. In this day and age of plea agreements very few cases go to trial. Above Average Jane casts doubts on her claim to be a certified  elder abuse lawyer. Murphy is hitting her for contributing money to Tom Corbett's Governor campaign.

Then there is fact that she doesn't pay her parking tickets.

Kathleen Kane had 15 parking tickets dismissed

Whoever wins this race I'm sure that either one would be a better AG than David Freed
The closing ads.

Pennsylvania Attorney General poll

Which Democrat will take on David Freed in the fall? Vote on the sidebar and tell us why in the comments. The choices are Patrick Murphy or Kathleen Kane.

Thursday events

This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.-Arthur Dent

So many things going on Thursday.

On the local scene Matt and Phyllis will be having a lovefest in West Wyoming while Bill Vinsko and Gene Stilp square off in Kingston that few people will attend or get a chance to watch on TV. Kathy Kane will skip the W-B city council meeting to host a Luzerne County Democratic rally at the Ramada on Public Square. How did all three of these events get scheduled at the the same time? Tim Holden is scheduled to be in the Lehigh Valley but you wouldn't know that if you checked his website.

Former President Clinton will be campaigning for Kathleen Kane down near Philly tomorrow and President Obama's top political guy was in the city of brotherly love backing Murphy yesterday. Loyalty is important in politics. Kane was big supporter of Hillary when she ran ran for President in 2008 and Murphy was one of the few elected officials in PA to back Obama.

I'm a bit conflicted about which event to attend. The Willow Grove thing is out of the question and the reluctant Nanticoke Committeeman has in invited me to the rally on Public Square. I'll take a pass on both. So do I want to go to LWV forum or a party with my 3rd favorite state rep and a guy who just may be my next Congressman?

Some press releases

WILLOW GROVE, PA--President Bill Clinton will attend a major “Get Out The Vote” rally for veteran prosecutor and Democratic State Attorney General candidate Kathleen Kane this Thursday, April 12th from 6 – 8 pm at Upper Moreland High School in the town of Willow Grove, Montgomery County in the northwestern suburbs of Philadelphia. The rally follows President Clinton’s recent endorsement of Kathleen Kane as Pennsylvania’s first elected female Attorney General. “Kathleen Kane is the most experienced and qualified candidate to serve as Pennsylvania Attorney General," said President Clinton. “I am confident that Kathleen will use the legal system to protect and advance the lives of all Pennsylvanians. She is smart, tough, and experienced, and she will make a great Attorney General.” Kane, a veteran Deputy District Attorney for Lackawanna County in Northeast Pennsylvania, is greatly appreciative of President Clinton’s strong show of support for her candidacy. “Words cannot express my gratitude to President Clinton for his unwavering support,” Kane added. “President Clinton remains an enormously popular and influential world leader. Our campaign is incredibly energized by the President’s support. We intend to ride this wave of momentum to victory on Tuesday, April 24th and in the November General Election. We also look forward to having President Clinton at our side throughout this historic journey.”


Philadelphia, PA) – Senior Obama Campaign Advisor David Axelrod campaigned today in Philadelphia for Patrick Murphy, giving a boost to his run for Pennsylvania Attorney General.

In a strategy meeting with key supporters at a Philadelphia law firm, Axelrod said Patrick Murphy has the experience, leadership and vision to be a great Attorney General for the people of Pennsylvania.

He also noted Murphy's ardent support of the President during some of his tougher fights including ending the war in Iraq, repealing Don't Ask, Don't
Tell and protecting women's rights.

“President Obama has never had a better friend in politics than Patrick Murphy. He was with us early, he was a great supporter of the election, but more importantly he was a leader we could count on to help end the war in Iraq and repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Patrick has taken up fights for people, not for special interests, but for people who needed a voice,” Axelrod said.

“There are the people who run for public office because they want to be something, and then there are people who run for public office because they want to do something, because they want to serve and they see it as a way of making our community stronger. There is nobody I know who exemplifies that ethic more than Patrick Murphy, who has served his country so honorably, served his community so honorably. I’ve never met anyone who impressed me more than Patrick in terms of that commitment and that sense of service. This is a guy who represents a better future for Pennsylvania,“ he added.

Axelrod said he knows that as Attorney General, Murphy will protect the middle class and defend the rights of all Pennsylvanians with the same passion and conviction.

An early supporter of President Obama, Murphy endorsed his presidential campaign in August 2007. The primary election for Attorney General is on
April 24.

PA Attorney General candidates stay positive on the air

The press release war is another thing.The Kane and Murphy campaigns are arguing about the ultra sound bill that they both oppose. Murphy says he won't enforce it because he thinks it unconstitutional. Kane said she would enforce the law even if she disagrees with it. I'm with Kane on this one. The Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania should follow the law as it is written.

Both candidates tell us how tough they are.

Kathleen Kane taking more hits

Borys noticed that Kane is talking out both sides of her mouth on the Employee Free Choice Act also known as card check.

Tuesday, things got more complicated. As a guest on a live call-in program on the Pennsylvania Cable Network, she had an exchange with a caller. Ms. Kane: "So, Pat, your question is, am I a supporter of card check?" PCN host: "He's not on the line, but that sounds like his question."
Ms. Kane: "That sounds like your question. I am not a supporter."...
Friday, her campaign issued a statement saying she's proud of her husband's success and she's "pro-union because it's in my blood and because I believe that America does best when it has a strong, growing middle class."
The statement also said she supports the Employee Free Choice Act, and as attorney general would defend the right to organize unions. It was a contradiction of what she seemed to say on PCN.

Her family's trucking company is non union.

Vote Vets will be having a conference call about the AG race later today.

Recently, the campaign of Kathleen Kane has demeaned the service of Patrick Murphy in the US Army, by claiming he has not been a prosecutor, despite the hundreds of cases he tried in the Army. Further, she has made an issue of him not taking the Pennsylvania Bar Exam, even though his commanding officer recommended he take another bar, and he was given a waiver from taking the Pennsylvania bar because of his years of service in the military.

TOMORROW, TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2012 AT 10AM, veterans from VoteVets.org PAC, which has endorsed Murphy, will hold a conference call to call on the Kane campaign to apologize for the remarks, and set the record straight.

The Pennsylvania Progressive has this: The Kane campaign not only questioned his military service but his fitness to pass the bar. Morrow told me the Minnesota test their opponent took to qualify for the bar was easier than Pennsylvania's and said Murphy took it for that reason. Morrow then attacked Murphy's claim to have prosecuted terrorists.

Also she denies being an executive of Kane is Able but signed FEC reports as an executive of Kane is Able. John concludes The Kane campaign lies. They cannot be trusted and the last thing we need is a liar as Attorney General. I demand a full public apology from Ms. Kane for lying about me.

Above Average Jane points out that Kane may be misrepresenting her credentials.

I googled a few key phrases, such as "specializes in child abuse law" and "specializes in elder abuse law." There were remarkably few results and most of those were not law firms but articles that use those terms.

So it was odd to see that Kathleen Kane, a Democratic candidate for Attorney General, uses that phrase on her campaign website:
As an Assistant District Attorney for Lackawanna County, Kathleen began in the child abuse/sexual assault unit spending several years prosecuting gruesome cases of physical and sexual abuse of children and adults. Simultaneous to the duties of this unit, Kathleen specialized in cases involving elder abuse, prosecuted white-collar criminals, and exposed abuses in Orphans’ Court.

The National Elder Law Foundation states that:

The National Elder Law Foundation is the only national organization certifying practitioners of elder and special needs law. NELF's Certified Elder Law Attorney designation is itself certified by the American Bar Association.

You can search for a certified lawyer by state. Kathleen Kane is not listed, not under Kane or Granahan, on the PA list.

This may be significant. It may not. In the law, as in many things, the devil is in the details. This seemed like a detail.

Then there is parking ticket story that I broke that got a lot of play on the WILK Sue Henry radio show but there may be more shenannigans going on with tickets in Scranton.

Magistrate Alyce Hailstone has also dismissed a bunch of tickets for 2 other Lackawanna County Assistant Attorneys. From Scranton Political Times Message Board

Assistant DA's Michael and Ellen Goffer also don't have to pay parking fines. Ellen Goffer is Kathleen Kane's sister.

The list for Ellen Goffer

http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0001566-07http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0002673-06http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0002830-06http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0000885-06http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0000556-06http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0000567-06http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0006579-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0006751-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0006392-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0005911-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0006058-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0004436-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0004486-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0004042-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0003682-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0003823-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0002706-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0002859-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0003076-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0002132-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0002177-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0002305-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0001465-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0001490-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0000527-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0000722-05http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0007398-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0006192-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0006468-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0006570-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0005280-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0005498-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0005049-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0004009-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0003369-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0003711-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0003112-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0001490-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0001928-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0000157-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0000183-04http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0009207-03http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0009211-03http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0008425-03http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0008037-03http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0007032-03http://ujsportal.pacourts.us/DocketSheets/MDJReport.aspx?district=MDJ-45-1-02&docketNumber=TR-0006826-03


Michael Goffer

Balance: $71.50Balance: $69.00Balance: $69.00Balance: $69.00Balance: $69.00Balance: $68.50Balance: $68.50Balance: $68.50Balance: $68.50Balance: $67.50Balance: $67.50Balance: $67.50Balance: $65.50Balance: $65.50Balance: $65.50Balance: $65.50Balance: $64.00

You wonder who else is getting this treatment.