There is a lot of political bullshit swirling about. Most of it centers around the State Senate district for the 17th here in PA.
A long time (or fairly long time), well respected politician has decided to pass the torch. That is Connie Williams. We know who the Democratic candidate is: Daylin Leach, who is currently the State Rep representing the 149th. Daylin is a terrific human being with a big heart who is also respected- of course last time he ran for office a faux desperate housewife made a stink over some blog he had, but you know what? Even when he was sorely tempted to go negative, he stuck to a campaign promise to run it clean.
Would that the choices and attitudes be as clear from the Republican side of the aisle.
Until this past Monday, there were three: Lance Rogers, John Durante, and Lisa Paolino.
Lance is a Lower Merion Township Commissioner with an Ivy League education, clean cut good looks, and seems well loved by his community. He is a big supporter of police and volunteer firemen.
John Durante is the Sheriff of Montgomery County and hails from Conshohocken, which is next to Norristown. That's all I know.
Lisa Paolino is a Radnor Township Commissioner, seems to be Delco born and bred. She apparently only won her last election by a couple of votes, it was a real squeaker. Whether she is beloved in the community is debatable? (That's a question.)
So on Monday, there was this nomination for the Republicans in Montgomery County:
"Lower Merion Commissioner Lance Rogers wins Montco GOP Endorsement over longtime County Sheriff John Durante 112-57"
So, who knew all the fur would start flying? First comes the post prior to this Montgomery County nomination process that says Lance Rogers is a racist. A racist? Alrighty as they say....so while this blogger has his first amendment rights, maybe he then shouldn't turn around in another post and say
"polls show that you have to be a Jewish woman to win a seat that encompasses Lower Merion, but then Rogers got all 90 votes there, didn't he?"
Might I say "yikes"?
But the thing is this, this whole nomination thing is perplexing because not only do we have to deal with the hurt feelings of the other Montgomery County candidate, there is Delco Girl saying "I wuz robbed". What? because she wasn't allowed to come and speak? Last time I understood that with regard to how Delaware County and Montgomery County do this, that little perk is a privilege, not a right?
As I hear it told from people who are in Delaware County and hold public office, when it comes to this seat doesn't Delco defer to Montco on the endorsement? And if they don't do this all of the time, they appear to have done this in this particular case, so if Delco Girl wuz robbed, wronged, slighted, pick your descriptive adjective, isn't her real beef with her home county for backing another horse? And besides, shouldn't we add to the equation that not only is Delaware County less than 20% of this district, but don't they choose candidates differently?
Now, back to this other blogger, who has his opinions on his blog, and I kind of dig that he likes Dominican Cigars and admits he hunts - he and I would be of like mind when it comes to the deer population (it's not all Bambi in this forest, and we'll leave it at that). But this blogger seems to have a thing for Montgomery County's party boss (I ain't mentioning Boss Tweed by name because then dude gets air time), and indirectly as a result, anyone else is tainted.
Okay, like I get that, but I have no respect for female whining as reported by this blogger - and FYI there is no violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the United States Constitution. It's a whole lot of whining indirectly from a candidate who said on her own blog:
"I am so fortunate to have the support of the Radnor Community behind my decision to run for Senate. Both Delaware County and Radnor Township are very proud of my achievements and my record of public service. My level of commitment stands firm to the people. My endorsement to run is "an "endorsement from and of the people." "
A candidate who continues on to say:
"Having run three succesful Commissioner races independent of any politcal party machine, I may be the underdog in this race, but hard work, diligence and a willingness to serve others will guide me through the process."
So has she won as a completely unendorsed Republican in the past? If so, it should be no problem, right? Her community adores her, right? But if the fur is flying this early, what does the future hold? Where there is smoke, there is fire and if blog god from Pottstown can point out the obvious, I'll leave it at that.... Read this article from the Norristown, PA Times Herald:
War of the words
County sheriff, GOP chairman fire off accusations in endorsement aftermath
By MARGARET GIBBONS ,
COURTHOUSE — The fallout from the controversial Republican endorsement for the 17th District state Senate seat continued Wednesday.
“The endorsement was fair and above board,” said Montgomery County Republican Chairman Ken Davis in responding to earlier claims by county Sheriff John P. Durante, who was one of the candidates for this seat, that Davis had “hijacked” the election for his own candidate.
“He (Durante) is just unhappy because he lost face,” said Davis. “Let’s face it. He got his butt kicked.”
Durante, in turn, played a voice mail Davis left him over the weekend, berating him for usurping Davis’s authority.
“I am not a little kid and should not be treated that way,” said Durante. “That is the way he treats all of the committee people. It’s time that the committee people take back this party.”
Lower Merion Commissioner Lance Rogers, a 33-year-old Republican lawyer, won Monday night’s endorsement by municipal committee people in a 112-57 vote over Durante....
......It also includes the Delaware County townships of Haverford and Radnor, two Delaware County municipalities that have Davis and Durante locking horns.
Durante maintains that the approximate 100 municipal committee members from Delaware County should have participated in the endorsement. Davis disagrees, contending it is traditional for the county that forms the largest part of the district to make the endorsement so as not to have split endorsements.
Davis noted that he had a similar arrangement with Bucks County this year, supporting that county’s congressional candidate in a district where a small section comes into Montgomery County, and with Chester County concerning a state House seat that overlaps both counties....With Davis, who also is from Lower Merion, already personally supporting Rogers’s candidacy, Durante said he knew he would have to look elsewhere for votes to offset the approximate 90 committee people votes in Lower Merion.
While gaining support from GOP leaders in the other municipalities, Durante said he spent time and money campaigning for the votes from committee people in Radnor and Haverford.
He said he was never informed that the Delaware County committee people would not be participating in the vote. In fact, he said, Montgomery County committee people received campaign materials from Republican Radnor Township Commissioner Lisa Paolino, who is also seeking the same seat, as well as a letter from Delaware County Councilman Andy Lewis urging them to vote for Rogers.
In a mailing Durante sent out just days before the endorsement vote, Durante told the Delaware County committee people he was looking forward to meeting them at the endorsement vote.
“He was ill advised if that is what he is claiming,” said Davis, who added that Durante’s advisors knew the Delaware County committee members were not invited to the endorsement meeting.
Last Saturday at the state GOP Committee meeting in Harrisburg, an irate Delaware County Republican Chairman Tom Judge confronted Davis with the letter Durante sent to his committee people, asking Davis what had happened to the agreement they had, according to Davis.
Davis subsequently called Durante, leaving a message in his voice mail. “Let me tell you first of all you have no right to invite people outside our county to an endorsement meeting,” Davis said in the voice mail message to Durante. “That is my prerogative.”
If the Delaware County GOP committee people or Paolino showed up at the endorsement meeting, they would be asked to leave, Davis said in the message.
“I work well with you and you’re my friend and I love you, but this isn’t going to happen and now you have Tom Judge upset,” said Davis. “In the event you happen to win the endorsement, you’re going to have a problem dealing with (Judge), which is not a good place to be.”
Judge could not be reached for comment....
Ok, so let's get over the bullshit, shall we? If someone is single, divorced, or a martian it shouldn't matter. What do they bring to the table besides spin and canny self-promoting press releases?
Ok bloggerverse, have at me. (But remember this is my party and I'll leave up what I want to)
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