Pennsylvania
updated
7:48 p.m.
Pwned. This afternoon on MSNBC's Hardball Chris Matthews absolutely humiliated rightwing radio host Kevin James. James was there to discuss the fact that in Israel today Bush called Obama a Nazi appeaser, but the conversation quickly devolved when it became readily apparent that James didn't know what appeasment is, or the historical analogy that Bush was making. Now, countless pund...
Drexel Democrats - 7:48 p.m.
From CNN.com The California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage Thursday, saying sexual orientation, like race or gender, "does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights." In a 4-3 120-page ruling issue, the justices wrote that "responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orienta...
Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents - 7:47 p.m.
There is absolutely no doubt about it, the GOP is outright sweating bullets over the recent victory in MS-01 of Democratic candidate Childers over Republican candidate Davis. Indeed, in order to staunch the metaphorical blood flow, the Republican party pulled out all the stops, including robo-calls from President Bush and Dick Cheney. In a district that went to Bush by over sixty percent, you ...
Comments From Left Field - 7:47 p.m.
The Associated Press : President Bush feted Israel on Thursday in honor of the 60th anniversary of its founding and predicted that its 120th birthday would find it alongside a Palestinian state and in an all-democratic neighborhood free of today’s oppression, restrictions on freedom and extremist Muslim movements . […] Bush made no acknowledgment of the hardship Palestini...
Comments From Left Field - 7:47 p.m.
We are having a discussion via speakerphone: me, my friend and her boyfriend. Her boyfriend mentions something particularly outrageous and says, “Where do they get these ideas?” “The internet,” I say. “No matter how wrong you are about something, or even sick or twisted, you can find a community online that will agree with you [...]...
Suburban Guerrilla - 7:47 p.m.
You decide, because I can’t. From the cover of the Willamette Weekly in Oregon, the issue in which they endorsed Obama (look, there’s even a magical Unity Pony in the background!): ...
Suburban Guerrilla - 7:47 p.m.
As a follow up to the reprehensible remarks delivered by Bush today in Israel , it is important to note that I didn’t even grasp the full scale of hypocrisy at work here. Here’s the kicker, here’s the one that will literally make you want to puke in your mouth : Bush, having done such a bang up job that he has some of the lowest approval ratings in history, decides t...
Comments From Left Field - 5:00 p.m.
The Obama campaign did not waste much time at all hitting the president back in regards to his foul comments delivered in Israel. In fact, Obama took to task both President Bush, and Senator McCain. Interestingly, the way he hits back continues to feed an initial observation of mine regarding Obama in that every time he gets attacked, he gets a free shot to feed his core message of a new k...
Comments From Left Field - 5:00 p.m.
Here is what he said : Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: “Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.” We have...
Comments From Left Field - 5:00 p.m.
While it may be overstating things a bit to say that the Democratic party has a serious unity problem right now, it is not an overstatement to recognize that, temporary or permanent, fractures have been formed. There are plenty of reasons for this, two great candidates, both of whom having done a fabulous job of forming emotional bonds with their supporters, not the least of which. But another...
Comments From Left Field - 5:00 p.m.
I’m just stepping on toes today, and for that I apologize to my colleagues, but there are times when you just have to say what you have to say. As my colleague Mac reported earlier , the highly anticipated decision by California’s Supreme Court on whether or not gay marriage should be legal came in today, and the verdict was good; at least for now, homosexuals can get married ...
Comments From Left Field - 5:00 p.m.
Gas approaching $4.00 a gallon, a housing and credit crisis, endless war in the Middle East, a criminal administration and THIS is what Arlen Specter is worried about???? Specter's rational for his wasting time and money? Lots of voters are Steelers fans. Asked at the news conference why Mr. Rooney and his coach insist that Spygate is over, Mr. Specter said: "I'm elected by 12 million people...
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - 4:59 p.m.
Via Lambert, Marie Cocco’s column today: I will not miss seeing advertisements for T-shirts that bear the slogan “Bros before Hos.” The shirts depict Barack Obama (the Bro) and Hillary Clinton (the Ho) and are widely sold on the Internet. I will not miss walking past airport concessions selling the Hillary Nutcracker. I won’t miss episodes like the [...]...
Suburban Guerrilla - 4:59 p.m.
In the present economic downturn, many states have decreased their spending, particularly in the area of public health. That's why it's gratifying to see City Council, the Department of Public Welfare and the General Assembly working together to bring more dollars into the state so we can actually improve care ......
The Philadelphia Unemployment Project - 1:41 p.m.
Most of you probably remember me from all of the hard work I put in blogging about Rick Vilello, former candidate for the PA-05 nomination. Well, during that time I also got very sick. So sick that I was unable to go to work and they eventually had to let me go. The good news is that my sickness was apparently an allergic reaction to something in the area, and now that I have le...
DailyKos (Pennsylvania) - 1:40 p.m.
Start: May 17 2008 - 10:00am End: May 17 2008 - 2:00pm Timezone: Etc/GMT-5 ELECTRONIC WASTE COLLECTION DAY Friday, May 9, 2008 Electronic Waste Collection Day Saturday May 17, 2008 10 am - 2 pm North East Township Building 10300 W. Main Road North East, PA To Register call Toll Free: 1-866-815-0016 Items Accepted: answering machines CD players copi...
Lake Erie Alliance for Democracy - 1:39 p.m.
California’s Supreme Court says forbidding marriage to gay couples unconstitutional. No details yet from the ruling. UPDATE: Here’s the link. What a great day! Here’s some more on the legal stuff. ...
Suburban Guerrilla - 1:39 p.m.
That’s why I like her: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) was the original impetus behind the Senate Democratic “war room,” a legacy the candidate does not mention on the campaign trail but one that has significantly changed the upper chamber. The war room is the name for the communications center that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) [...]...
Suburban Guerrilla - 1:39 p.m.
Stoller thinks I misinterpreted his post. I don’t think so - the part I wrote about was that he seemed at all optimistic that blogs would play any part in influencing an Obama administration toward progressive goals. I mean, when someone isn’t even the nominee yet and he’s working hard to cut out any threats [...]...
Suburban Guerrilla - 1:39 p.m.
The Left Coaster’s Steve Soto (an Obama supporter) has the same reaction to the Obama power grab: I am also troubled this morning by the news that Team Obama wants to control all the Democratic money this campaign cycle themselves. The campaign has apparently put the word out that Obama doesn’t want his supporters to contribute [...]...
Suburban Guerrilla - 1:39 p.m.
Condo associations are trying to keep the lights on as they lose monthly fees to foreclosure. I think I picked a good decade to be a renter. ...
Suburban Guerrilla - 1:39 p.m.
In the present economic downturn, many states have decreased their spending, particularly in the area of public health . That's why it's gratifying to see City Council, the Department of Public Welfare and the General Assembly working together to bring more dollars into the state so we can actually improve care for the Uninsured and Medicaid eligible population in Philadelphia. Quick Fact...
Young Philly Politics - 1:39 p.m. - 2 clicks 
On the west coast : Today, CA Supreme Court says that domestic partnerships laws for same-sex couple are not good enough. Ruling demands marriage laws be put in place which means Cali will become the second state in nation to offer same-sex marriage by year's end. More from LA Times here . On the east coast : PA State Senate almost passes a same-sex marriage ban to state constitution. O...
Young Philly Politics - 1:39 p.m.
The other day a friend on Facebook invited me to join a group that struck me as astonishingly stupid. To be fair, there are many far stupider groups on Facebook, but I wanted to hold this one up to particular ridicule for a couple reasons. It has 396,582 members and I've been invited more than once, so it's not obscure, and it's stupid in a way that deserves a response. Actually, it looks lik...
Drexel Democrats - 10:22 a.m.
This is just coming and I haven’t seen the decision yet but this is a step in the right direction. UPDATE: You can see the opinion here . It was a 4-3 vote. Most promising for changing attitudes regarding gay marriage is that 3 of the 4 justices in the majority were appointed to the bench by Republicans. ...
Comments From Left Field - 10:20 a.m.
Thanks for spearheading this Karen, and yea Joyce! -Ray At our chapter meeting this Monday, Philadelphia NOW voted to send a letter to Governor Rendell urging him to appoint Joyce Eubanks to the Municipal Court vacancy which currently exists in Philadelphia. We enthusiastically endorsed Joyce Eubanks when she ran for a judicial slot last year. Click "read more" below to see the letter wr...
Young Philly Politics - 10:19 a.m.
I'm going to be honest right up front, I am a Patriot fan. Now that that is out of the way let's talk about Sen. Specter and his calling for football hearings. Does he not have anything better to do? How about solving the energy problem, you know the fact that we don't drill our own oil and the price is going through the roof! How about all the judges that are still not confirmed, is he not on...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - 8:09 a.m. - 7 clicks
Remember this ? More lying from dubya. Check this out from the Washington Post. First the set-up that everyone knows by now: The nation is in despair over the war in Iraq and the toll it is taking on our troops and their families. But President Bush shows no outward sign of inner pain. He is chipper in his public pronouncements. His weekly bike rides and daily workouts have put a perpetual...
2 Political Junkies - 8:08 a.m. - 10 clicks
Members of a Senate panel on Wednesday joined a chorus of skeptics who question whether the state should spend millions of dollars on a proposed state graduation testing program for Pennsylvania high school students. Senators who participated in a Senate Education Committee hearing expressed doubts that the tests proposed by the State Board of Education would live up to the promise of ensuri...
Keystone Politics - 5:53 a.m. - 6 clicks
Gov. Ed Rendell — one of Hillary Clinton’s most vocal supporters — told CNN on Wednesday that Barack Obama should choose Clinton as his running mate if Obama becomes the Democratic nominee for president. Obama would need a running mate who appeals to working-class voters and in swing states, and “there’s no question in my mind they should ask Hillary Clinton t...
Keystone Politics - 5:53 a.m. - 8 clicks
Saying saving lives is more important than saving money, state Auditor General Jack Wagner on Wednesday urged the state to reverse its January decision to remove lifeguards from all but one of its 37 state parks with lake beaches. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which eliminated lifeguards in 22 state parks from 1999 to 2007, announced it would remove them at 15 m...
Keystone Politics - 5:53 a.m.
Can we just all agree on one thing; there are certain professions in this world for which you must trade in your privacy. That’s just how it goes. If you’re a twenty year old female who is moderately attractive and you sing or act for a living, the reality of the situation is that you will have pictures taken of you every minute of your waking life. If you wanted to be rich and fam...
Comments From Left Field - 5:52 a.m. - 2 clicks
The victory that Rep. Childers (D!) won in Mississippi against Republican candidate Greg Davis has Republicans running for cover, scrambling to figure out how to get back in touch with voters in districts they should win handily . Because I’m a nice guy, and I’m all about getting along with folks, even when I disagree with them, I have a friendly little hint for all the GOPers worr...
Comments From Left Field - 5:52 a.m.
Yes, there's still a lot of local government in Pennsylvania not using the Internet.......
PSoTD - 5:52 a.m. - 8 clicks
This one is HUGE for me. I don’t live in California, but most of my family lives there, and thus I have a vested interest in how this turns out. From Andrew Sullivan, it turns out that a long awaited decision by the California Supreme Court is expected tomorrow that will decide whether or not to uphold the right for homosexual couples to get married . As many of you know, my littl...
Comments From Left Field - 3:05 a.m.
Here is a paragraph that could take some while to unpack: “We have a lot of government people here and lobbyists and lawyers and very educated, very savvy Washingtonians,” said Jim Cooper, Ms. Cooper’s father, a businessman, describing the reaction in his neighborhood, the Wessynton subdivision of Alexandria. “They were pretty shocked that the government could do this sort of thing, because it...
Comments From Left Field - 3:05 a.m.
I fully and completely approve of any effort to rob the GOP of the religious portion of their base. This is a problem that the last two Democratic presidential candidates had; talking God. As troubling as it is, it’s true that in America there is a religious test at least to be President of the United States. It’s not a constitutionally mandated test, of course, but instead a ...
Comments From Left Field - 3:05 a.m. - 9 clicks
Deception is always the key to winning. It’s only a matter of hours before Armando yet again addresses the working class white vote problem that Obama has. Indeed, one may imagine that this was the key to Edwards’ endorsement prior to the Kentucky primary, let some of that whiteness rub off on Obama just in time. I actually don’t believe that is the case at all, but w...
Comments From Left Field - 3:05 a.m.
It’s no secret Hillary Clinton has not been my favorite politician over the past, I don’t know, coming on nine months or so. But it is worth noting that I kinda liked her prior to about Augus or September of last year. You’ll also probably notice that as of late I have struck a more amicable tone regarding the New York Senator. To be perfectly fair, I think my grievances...
Comments From Left Field - 3:05 a.m.
WASHINGTON, D.C.— A national conservative pro-family organization has endorsed Republican Congressional candidate Lou Barletta . Eagle Forum PAC supports the outspoken Hazleton mayor in his 11th Congressional District race against incumbent Democrat Paul Kanjorski ....The Eagle Forum was organized in 1970s and was formerly known as Stop ERA, a group opposed to the equal rights amendme...
Gort42 - 1:50 a.m. - 6 clicks
Well, I missed my first self-imposed deadline. Hopefully, you all except my reason. My wife and I have had a devastating four days. Our 18 year old cat, Lucy, has passed on. Lucy was an amazing animal. When I rented an apartment on E. Mosser St. I remember her prancing out of the weeds that bordered the train yard on the East Side of Allentown. She was a beautiful black persian cat. I remember s...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Wed 11:14 p.m. - 10 clicks
This isn't so much a diary entry to set the world on fire, but a sincere question to the Democrats who came into the voting booth Tuesday, voted for Clinton, and set in your minds you will rather go through four more years of the same ole same because a black man could take the highest office in the land. I don't know what to think really. I mean, I've been through West Virginia and alway...
DailyKos (Pennsylvania) - Wed 9:49 p.m. - 21 clicks
John Edwards, former Senator from North Carolina and Presidential hopeful, endorsed Barack Obama for president this evening in Grand Rapids Michigan. Unknown tens of thousands of man-hours have been spent over the last five months pondering the impact of an Edwards endorsement for either Clinton or Obama, and though the conventional wisdom seemed to be that the moment had passed for it to be a w...
Drexel Democrats - Wed 7:54 p.m. - 9 clicks
We told you not to gloat or read too much into your expected win in West Virginia. We told you that we expected you to win, given the demographics of the state. We told you not to mention demographics as a problem for Barack Obama, i.e., rural white voters won't support an Obama candidacy. You, of course, being a Clinton, did not listen. You gloated. You started looking to change the math. You...
DrChuckSpeaks - Wed 7:54 p.m. - 4 clicks
Hi everyone – I want to share with you some exciting news I received earlier today. Keystone Politics has been named the official Pennsylvania blog to cover the Democratic National Convention in August! We’ll have exclusive access to the convention floor and will be seated with the PA delegation; we’re just starting to make plans now, but you can expect videos, interviews, podc...
Keystone Politics - Wed 7:54 p.m. - 8 clicks
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court — which will evidently remain a six-pack since the Senate Republicans have given the thumbs down to Rendell’s pick for interim justice — today heard argument on matter addressing whether retailers should be allowed to sell six-packs if they don’t serve beer for on-premises consumption. How many more years is it going to be before Pennsyl...
Keystone Politics - Wed 7:53 p.m. - 9 clicks
Woo! John Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina who bowed out of the presidential race in January, endorsed Senator Barack Obama at a rally here tonight. “The reason I am here tonight is because the Democratic voters of America have made their choice and so have I,” Mr Edwards said. Edwards for Attorney General in an Obama cabinet ?...
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - Wed 7:53 p.m. - 9 clicks
If you're a republican. For those keeping score at home, that's three traditionally republican seats lost to Democrats in special elections....
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - Wed 7:53 p.m.
Sure, Hillary was expected to win big in West Virginia. Sure, those of us who support her, and those that don't knew she would have a good day yesterday in West Virginia. Sure, the polls had indicated that winning West Virginia was squarely in Hillary's column. BUT... Did anyone expect Hillary would win each and every country in the state of West Virginia? This is not simply a win, this is a ...
Declarations of Pride - Wed 4:46 p.m. - 2 clicks
Ridiculous. Nobody seems to care about the litigants who are stuck waiting for their cases to be decided because none of the appellate courts have all of their judges. Four vacancies on Pennsylvania’s appellate courts, including one on the Supreme Court, will remain unfilled for now , stuck in a partisan dispute. The Senate’s majority Republicans on Wednesday defied Gov. Ed...
Keystone Politics - Wed 4:46 p.m. - 10 clicks
From Talkingpointsmemo : Obama spokesperson Tommy Vietor confirms that Edwards will indeed endorse Obama today. Edwards couldn't have picked a safer time to endorse -- he did it after it became obvious that the nomination was largely a foregone conclusion. And he did it after Obama lost big in West Virginia, among just the sort of voters Edwards is supposed to have sway among. While it's tru...
2 Political Junkies - Wed 4:44 p.m.
The McCain campaign has begun to cave to the unyielding force of our McCain Energy Policy Watch by taking two rather limited steps forward. First, McCain unveiled a climate change speech in Oregon on Monday, and second, the campaign store unveiled a new line of "eco-friendly" McCain campaign gear. The big proposal to come out of the speech is McCain's call for a cap-and-trade program. You'l...
Drexel Democrats - Wed 2:00 p.m.
This is probably one of the saddest stories I've come across in a very, very long time. And the fact that it has not received more media attention/scrutiny is even more alarming... N.J. student banned in torching of kid's turban 4 hours ago HIGHTSTOWN , N.J. (AP) — Officials in New Jersey are banning a high school senior from campus after he was charged with setting fire to a fell...
DrChuckSpeaks - Wed 2:00 p.m. - 11 clicks
Sunday night I put together my profile of current Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, with help from my two daughters. The girls were involved to the point that they want to keep doing it. Yesterday oldest wanted to know who was next, so she could start doing research, and youngest has announced she will be my "portrait searcher". Last night I was presented with a list of sixteen current sitting Wome...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Wed 10:15 a.m.
David was away and I had a personal emergency which took me completely from my keyboard for four days so I missed this on Crooks and Liars on Friday night: I only caught it today because I noticed a fivefold spike in our hits on Saturday and went looking. I'm guessing that Blue Gal took the image from a screen capture of our header. The original graphic can be found at this...
2 Political Junkies - Wed 10:14 a.m.
I called the Lehigh County Voter registration office this Morning, and they told me that if anyone had qualified by write in, they would be on the election results page as a winner. Kris Burek isn't there. The Northampton County Voter Registrar web page shows there being 118 write in votes cast for a Democrat in that district, but gives no breakdown of who the votes were written in for. Lehigh ...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Wed 7:40 a.m. - 12 clicks
Tomorrow a small bill , that slipped out of Council’s Streets and Services committee with barely any notice, will get its first reading. Titled “Towing And Immobilizing Of Parked Or Abandoned Vehicles,” few knew what Bill 080406 was about until the people benefiting showed up to testify on its behalf: From KYW1060 : The Parking Authority is promising smoother rush hours in Center City, if...
Young Philly Politics - Wed 7:38 a.m. - 11 clicks
It looks like the whole tax package will be voted on by City Council tomorrow. The deal that's been cut will apparently slow the elimination of the gross receipts tax to a 10 rather than 8 year timetable, and also slow cuts to the net income portion of the BPT. To accomplish that, and offer various goodies to Councilmembers, the Mayor will apparently spend down virtually the entire City fund ba...
Young Philly Politics - Wed 7:38 a.m. - 2 clicks
Six state lawmakers called Tuesday for the state attorney general to investigate whether state gaming regulators broke the law when they, according to sources, ordered their investigators to change a background report on Mount Airy Casino Resort owner Louis DeNaples. The lawmakers are asking whether the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is allowed to directly influence and oversee the work o...
Keystone Politics - Wed 5:31 a.m. - 10 clicks
From the Politico : For the first time, Bush revealed a personal way in which he has tried to acknowledge the sacrifice of soldiers and their families. “I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf,” he said. “I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the ...
2 Political Junkies - Wed 5:29 a.m. - 2 clicks
I was on record as saying before the election that I thought that Obama might lose by 50 or even 60 points. I was probably basing that judgment on the same thing Bill Clinton was when he said that: a look at how the counties bordering West Virginia voted. I've looked at those counties again to come up with a quick and dirty analysis of the election that I think has not yet appeared e...
DailyKos (Pennsylvania) - Wed 3:48 a.m. - 33 clicks
A faltering real estate market and some overly optimistic budgeting has led Mayor Nutter to slightly scale back his tax-cutting plans , thus breaking several campaign promises. The revised five-year financial plan, which is to be presented to City Council today, includes a total of $155.8 million less in wage- and business-tax cuts than Nutter had proposed in February, senior administration...
Keystone Politics - Wed 3:48 a.m.
Great post by Gort! Wow, how did we ever get so many people working in the courthouse who can’t see what is right in front of their nose? Sam Hyder claimed he used his county debit card at a strip club in Las Vegas because it looked just his own credit card and Commissioner Greg Skrepnak offered a similar excuse when it was revealed that he used his county card to pay for his familyR...
Keystone Politics - Wed 3:48 a.m. - 13 clicks
To me, this is more than a Philadelphia problem. A lot of large cities have contemplated public wireless only to be shot down by companies, lobbyists, lack of funds, etc. Do you think the next president will be more accommodating to a national broadband strategy? It’s not a sexy issue, but I’d sure like to hear someone say the Internets are important… Philadelphia’s city...
Keystone Politics - Wed 1:57 a.m. - 13 clicks
”We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.” - Leona Hemsley She would fit right in at the the Luzerne County Courthouse. Newly elected Recorder of Deeds James “Red” O'Brien has been getting a free pass on unpaid taxes dating back to 2003. He owes $17,855 in property taxes for his bar in Avoca which he is trying to sell. Last year's Sheriffs sale of properties that owed ba...
Gort42 - Wed 1:57 a.m. - 15 clicks
by Doris Cipolla The Marriage Protection Amendment is tabled, but not dead. It wll emerge again. We need to be vigilant and alert to stop this direct assault to our Constitution. Al Quaida could not have created a better weapon than the Marriage Protection Amendment to destroy our American democracy. The Marriage Amendment is much larger than a “gay issue.” The more serious matter i...
Lake Erie Alliance for Democracy - Tue 9:00 p.m.
Most people know that the West Virginia primary was tonight, and I arrived home just in time to see most of Clinton's speech. I had turned on MSNBC for literally about 3 seconds before I heard Clinton make a desperate appeal for money ("Please go to HillaryClinton.com and pay off my debt!"). There are also another couple races to watch tonight though. Scott Kleeb, a netroots favorite from Nebr...
Drexel Democrats - Tue 7:03 p.m. - 2 clicks
Obviously not Hogwarts . Substitute teacher Jim Piculas does a 30-second magic trick where a toothpick disappears then reappears. But after performing it in front of a classroom at Rushe Middle School in Land O' Lakes, Piculas said his job did a disappearing act of its own. "I get a call the middle of the day from the supervisor of substitute teachers. He says, 'Jim, we have a huge issue...
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - Tue 4:21 p.m.
The technology is developed, its reasonably priced, and its clean, so why not?? Two decades from now Americans could get as much electricity from windmills as from nuclear power plants, according to a government report that lays out a possible plan for wind energy growth. The report, a collaboration between the Energy Department research labs and industry, concludes wind energy could ...
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - Tue 4:21 p.m.
Unity is the Key in 2008: As I've been meeting with people since the primary election, I can tell that Democratic voters in the 5th district are unifying behind our campaign and identifying with our message. Before the primary election, I felt certain if the Democratic candidates made our campaigns about the important issues and trusted the voters to make their choice on election day,...
DailyKos (Pennsylvania) - Tue 1:12 p.m. - 16 clicks
Critical thinking skills are often noticably absent in politics, but as a college democrat organization, I'd like to think that we value and encourage it. This silly piece from the LA Times is an excellent example in lending credence to the incredulous. Graphology is the "study" of how psychological traits are expressed through handwriting. It's not substantively different than palm rea...
Drexel Democrats - Tue 10:44 a.m.
After watching geriatric nuns get turned away from the polls in Indiana last week , because they lacked a photo ID, one would think that the movement for voter ID laws might be slowed down. Apparently, not in Pennsylvania : Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld Indiana's law requiring voters to present photo identification, state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe wants to enact the same kind ...
DailyKos (Pennsylvania) - Tue 10:43 a.m. - 11 clicks
If you're in trouble with your mortgage in Philadelphia, you need to call a housing counselor. In Philadelphia, you can call 215-334-HOME. A housing counselor can get you a better deal as you try to save your home. This is always true, but even moreso right now. In Philadelphia, we ......
The Philadelphia Unemployment Project - Tue 7:46 a.m. - 12 clicks
This Pennsylvania Mayor is a Democrat. In a letter to the editor published in a local paper, Tunkhannock Borough Mayor Norm Ball explained his support of Hillary Clinton this way: "Barack Hussein Obama and all of his talk will do nothing for our country. There is so much that people don't know about his upbringing in the Muslim world. His stepfather was a radical Muslim and the ranting of hi...
DailyKos (Pennsylvania) - Tue 7:45 a.m. - 20 clicks
Ah Brett Mandel. You gotta love him. From his Philadelphia Forward email today: The city budget drama should end this week and City Council and the Mayor are deciding whether tax reform will be part of the city's final plan to raise and spend about $4 billion. While some on City Council urge the Mayor to stop reducing the city's onerous tax rates, Philadelphians are counting on Mayor Nut...
Young Philly Politics - Tue 7:44 a.m. - 11 clicks
Now this is weird. This is from the Washington Post: It was already shaping up to be a difficult year for congressional Republicans. Now, on the cusp of Mother's Day, comes this: A majority of the House GOP has voted against motherhood. On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goa...
2 Political Junkies - Tue 5:07 a.m.
Destroying evidence when an investigation is under way is just stupid. It's not the crime that will sink you but the cover up . HARRISBURG -- A former intern for the House Democratic Caucus says he was instructed to shred boxes of personnel records later sought in a grand jury probe into whether state employees were given taxpayer-funded bonuses in return for political work...A stat...
Gort42 - Tue 3:59 a.m. - 13 clicks
A lot of school news in the past few weeks to share: School Safety The District’s Safe Schools Advocate has been in the news slamming the District regarding its failures on ensuring safety – or should I say, some strange interpretation of it, since apparently he defines it as the number of students expelled from schools and closing “loopholes” like an appeal process, according to a yet unpu...
Young Philly Politics - Tue 3:59 a.m. - 12 clicks
Anything happen since I blogged last? Oh yea that's right, Senator Obama is now ahead of Senator Clinton in the superdelegate count 277-273 (numbers from CNN ). And as the Editors of The Nation write: So is it over? It's fair to say yes. Can we start talking about Senator McCain now?...
2 Political Junkies - Tue 3:59 a.m.
Last week, the (in) famous Grand Theft Auto video game series, offered another installment of its drug and homicide riddled electronic crap , called, well, Grand Theft Auto...drum roll... IV. Within its first week, it raked in something like a half billion dollars (I feel like Austin Powers, when I type that). I'm not as upset that the video game makers of this very popular game series, Rock ...
DrChuckSpeaks - Mon 7:22 p.m. - 16 clicks
There are so many cliches and well-worn similes that one hardly knows which to use. The "House of Cards"? The "Falling Dominos"? The "Chickens Coming Home to Roost"? The "Iceberg Metaphor"? Well, whichever nod to ancient wisdom is your favorite,......
Fact-esque - Mon 4:50 p.m.
I've been using Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening technique since 1993. I have four 4'x4' squares up by the pool, that have yielded quite a bit of veggies (that usually get shared with various groundhogs). This year, I planted the entire garden with asparagus and garlic, meaning I needed more garden space. I was going to dig up another section of yard, but I noticed that Uncle Mel h...
Froth Slosh B'Gosh - Mon 1:55 p.m. - 2 clicks
This is the youngest Woman in politics I have profiled so far, and I want to give credit to my 14 year old daughter, a High School Freshman, for her Mother's Day gift of looking up everything she could on the current Governor of Alaska and putting it together for me. I loved the Flowers, the Brunch, the Car Washing, and the dozens of other jobs that the kids took on themselves to give me a day of...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Mon 10:52 a.m. - 2 clicks
I don't usually disagree with Paul Krugman's economic assessments but when I do it's normally because he's left something out. In his op-ed today, it's a beaut. In the course of arguing why he thinks the "oil bubble" isn't a......
Fact-esque - Mon 10:51 a.m. - 3 clicks
We've said I dunno how many times that Wal-mart is the leader in scamming taxpayer money, getting city, county, and state govts to pay for things they ought to be paying for themselves. We've pointed out the way Wal-mart goes......
Fact-esque - Mon 10:51 a.m. - 3 clicks
This morning I had the opportunity to listen to Julian Stolz discuss the East Penn school district tax increase on WAEB (replayed at 6 PM). One thing he said really stood out to me, which was why he thinks School Directors really exist. According to Julian they exist to hire the administration and let the administration run the district. I believe he has nailed the issue. I've often wondere...
The Lehigh Valley Political Blog - Mon 8:26 a.m. - 2 clicks
We haven't even elected a President and already I'm talking about next year's race for Pittsburgh's Mayor. (There is no cure for my disease.) Well, I'm not the only one talking and so far, everyone that's flapped their gums at me about the race is pretty much just mentioning male candidates. I figure as long as wild, unfounded commentary & opinion is feeding the rumor mill, why shouldn't ...
Pittsburgh Women's Blogging Society - Mon 8:26 a.m. - 14 clicks
Via Kevin Hayden at The American Street, a WSJ political piece by two writers who think the Democrats are risking their political necks if they help bail out stricken/abused/scammed homeowners the way they bailed out the merchant bankers and mortgage-lending......
Fact-esque - Mon 8:25 a.m. - 2 clicks
In an Inquirer editorial yesterday scolding City Council for taking a second look at tax cuts, the Inky editorial board showed how embarrassingly out of touch they are with everyday Philadelphians. First, in a nutshell, the Inquirer wrote an editorial that demanded that- fiscal realities be damned- the City better keep cutting business taxes. The editorial was kind of high-comedy. Fi...
Young Philly Politics - Mon 8:24 a.m. - 16 clicks
I've already introduced you guys to some of the more widely read bloggers that I read to stay on top of the intertube coversation, and so now I'd like to highlight some of the less widely known blogs. They may be less widely read than Kos or Atrios, b