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BruceCastor.com, and Other Moves by the Montco Commish

BruceCastor.comBruce Castor, the Montgomery County Commissioner who has floated the possibility of challenging Gov. Tom Corbett in the GOP primary, has launched a website. As of this morning, BruceCastor.com is live.

Though only a potential candidate at present – he has said he wants to wait and see what the polls look like later this year before making a decision – he writes like one on his website.

“I will press the Legislature to break the Iron Triangle by restoring the legislative branch to the part-time, term limited body that our founding fathers created,” he wrote.

The site lays out Castor’s vision (for Pa., not Montco), which includes things like eliminating property taxes, enacting right to work, and ending corporate tax breaks. Wrote some well-meaning but insufficiently thorough editor of the site, “(we used the struck through language in another section of the platform, and I think the new language helps alleviate concern that core functions of government would be gutted under your program.”

The website isn’t all Castor has been up to. Castor has been quietly taking meetings with conservatives across the state and attending GOP events. He’ll be at the Lehigh GOP meeting next week, and will host a reception at the conservative PLC get together.

His guide on this journey is Joe Sterns, a former staffer to Sen. Pat Toomey and the group Citizens Alliance for Pennsylvania, and formerly the chairman of the Schuylkill County GOP. Sterns knows the donors and activists who would make a legitimate run possible.

Sterns has also got his fair share of enemies in the GOP, particularly those incumbents he’s helped to challenge over the years. Now he’s Castor’s spokesman.

On any given day, Castor is tweeting and facebooking links to articles about Corbett’s poll numbers (low) and perceived vulnerability (high).

He’s doing his best to deny Corbett the flexibility to moderate as he enters his re-election cycle.

In the wake of NJ Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to opt into Obamacare’s expansion of Medicaid, Corbett has left the door open to following suit. If he does, Castor will pounce. In late January, he staked out the rightmost stance on the issue.

“To expand Medicaid eligibility to 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, as proscribed by Obamacare, would be financially devastating for Pennsylvania,” Castor said, and called on Corbett to follow Florida’s example. “Since the Supreme Court gave each state the power to opt out of the expansion, our Governor must exhibit leadership and do so.”

Subsequent to this statement, Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) reversed himself and decided to opt in to Obamacare. But Castor’s opposition, and that of a number of Pa. conservatives, remains.

19 Responses

  1. To Kathleen3: are you saying Bruce Castor is going to be in jail with Jim Matthews? What lesson didn’t Castor learn? He said Matthews and Hoeffel were crooks and they were. He said Santorum would be crushed and Rick was in ’06. Who needs the lesson? The GOP needs to learn for the debacle of: Santorum, Swan, Matthews, Specter, Welch, Irey, Maher, Freed … and now Corbett.

  2. Sean: you have the right idea. The GOP has to change horses and a SE candidate is best. Jim is a good guy who most people like and as you say, a good speaker too. Bruce is controversial, but very, very smart and an excellent public speaker from years in courtrooms. Or someone else. The main point is Corbett is going to lose to any well funded SE Democrat. He is just plain bad.

  3. The best Governor Candidate is the current LG, Jim Cawley. He is a far better leader then Corbett and is a phenomenal public speaker.

  4. I saw a report out of a Pittsburgh TV station where Governor Corbett took a few personal jabs at Bruce Castor. Evidently, Tom’s a little upset, to put it mildly. Now THAT’s funny.

  5. Castor has always been a leader-albeit somehwta egotistical. He is sounding a very populist message with the right to work exception.at least we can count on him to put the good of hte people ahead of self interest. he always leads from the front-and I am a proud Dem.

  6. The self-serving egomaniac, Castor, obviously has not learned his lesson. For this reason I suspect within 3 years he will be spending his days commiserating with Jim Matthews.

  7. Assume Corbett can gain $ by selling the State Stores [overcoming opposition from people such as John Taylor] and then spend it by supporting education [as announced, perhaps expanding School Choice] and by retiring the Pension Bomb .

    He would then be positioned to claim he has tackled PA’s worst problems without raising taxes [although he’s increased debt].

    Meanwhile, the longer he ignores Sandusky, the greater will be the impact of KK’s report; it is noted that one of his supporters is Scott Paterno.

    http://brucecastor.com/Images/Fundraiser%20Archives/Bruce%20Castor%20Reception%20March%2027%202013.pdf

    Therefore, again, it would be desirable to prophylax against a party split were he to hold a press conference devoted entirely to Penn State…ASAP.

    It is true that Castor is positioning himself to the “right” of Corbett on myriad issues, and that polling is down.

    But he could parlay his newfound PR-push [per the internet] to send-the-message that he will both mainstream Castor’s ideas [e.g., right-to-work] and explain why he used a Grand Jury [delaying the Sandusky investigation].

  8. How can castor be a champion of taxpayers when he voted to increase taxes more than 20 percent AND admitted under oath as part of the Fumo prosecution to using taxpayer resources for political campaign purposes.

    I know conservatives are unhappy with Corbett but castor cares only about castor, and his ego (ENORMOUS) is letting him be used in this endeavor.

    He’s a joke.

  9. As Tom Corbett’s numbers plummet, and as he allies with the CohenRendell Comcast Obama Billionaires, a sign of desperation, it is becoming more and more obvious that Tom Corbett is highly unlikely to win 2014.

    Democrats, obviously, cannot be trusted with money. It is imperative that a Republican be elected to save the Commonwealth from Democrats and Unions who drive up the cost and the power of government. The Forgotten Taxpayer needs a champion. Bruce Castor may be the guy.

    With Corbett financed by CohenRendell Comcast Obama Billionaires, voters will have a choice between a Democrat and a Democrat. By necessity, Bruce will confront the Establishments of both parties and the Unions. It may be Bruce v. Bankruptcy. Will voters, once again, vote bankruptcy. oh well…there is always Texas.

  10. Right to work state, huh? I guess that means the wages of the working class of this state will fall behind the cost of living even more than they already are. Bruce will do and say just about anything to chase down a vote.

  11. Corbett flips on Obamacare and signs on, Castor will jump in the race. Tom Terrific can’t do it.

  12. I’m a Democrat, and I doubt I would support Castor in the general, but he has done a pretty good job as the Montco commissioner, and I respect him for that. I hope he beats Corbett in the primary, even if it makes things tougher in the general.

  13. I Hope he can Kick Bob Asher’s Opps I mean Corbetts Tail in the Governors Election We dont like a Convicted Felon like Bob Asher of Asher’s Candies Running the Governors office In Pennsylvania as he has been for the last couple of years We Need Convicted Felons to keep their Filthy Hands off of The Wheels Of Power in PA

  14. Anyone want to look for a citation to any of Pennsylvania’s four constitutions to back up the claim about “founding fathers” and term limited legislators.

    Castor, by the way, is well-enough educated to be expected to know the difference between “proscribed” and “prescribed,” even if the same cannot be said of his campaign flacks.

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