Most of the candidates’ attention this week has been focused on preparing for the parties’ state committee meetings this weekend.
That does not mean, though, that typical campaigning took a rest. With the President visiting the commonwealth, the Governor took get pains to connect the new Democratic nominee to the Democratic President. Meanwhile, the Wolf campaign sought to point to failures in the legislature as Gov. Corbett’s fault.
Corbett
Last Tuesday, President Obama visited Pittsburgh to talk about manufacturing and the economy at a TechShop location. The Corbett team used this as an opportunity to tie Tom Wolf to the President who, like nearly every President in his sixth year, is currently suffering in the polls.
“President Obama’s visit gives Secretary Tom Wolf a golden opportunity to repudiate President Obama’s job-killing War on Coal and drop his support for the President’s disastrous Obamacare law,” Corbett-Cawley Communications Director Chris Pack said.
“Secretary Tom Wolf wants to go back to the tax-and-spend culture in Harrisburg that killed jobs and increased taxes. We already know how that story ends, and Pennsylvania cannot afford to go back to the days of more taxes and less jobs, because that just weakens Pennsylvania.”
The PA Republican Party also took the opportunity once again to hammer Wolf for his support of the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare.
“Tom Wolf believes Obamacare was ‘a step in the right direction’ towards a complete government takeover of our health care,” PA GOP Communications Director Megan Sweeney said. “Obamacare has cost jobs, created taxes and raised health insurance premiums for Pennsylvanians, but Tom Wolf doesn’t think it goes far enough. Obamacare is crushing the budgets of school districts, but Tom Wolf thinks it’s a ‘good step.’”
Wolf
Meanwhile, the Wolf campaign sought out a far more unpopular target to tie to Governor Corbett, namely, Harrisburg. Given the recent budget troubles, the next few weeks could provide a prime opportunity for the challenger to attack the incumbent.
“Right now Pennsylvania is facing an estimated $1.4 billion budget deficit because of Governor Corbett’s mismanagement,” wrote Wolf Campaign Manager Joe Shafer.
“But rather than be honest with the people of Pennsylvania about his failure to create jobs, balance our budget, and fund public schools, Corbett is still trying to protect his largest campaign donors at the expense of working families.”
Shafer went on to mention the severance tax as a possible solution, noting that Pennsylvania is the only major gas producing state not to have one. The campaign even created their own infographic to inform voters that Corbett has received $3.6 million from oil and gas companies and gas drillers pay no property tax.
Expect more of these attacks as the budget process proceeds in the next few weeks.
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20 Responses
Corbett appointed Harry Smail as the new Westmoreland county Judge. BIG mistake Tom!
You deserve to lose re-election for that appointment alone.
Corbett’s handling of the Sandusky case is irrelevant to the campaign. What is relevant is that Tom Corbett was never qualified to be governor of this state; he lucked out in an R wave year. And he’s followed the Koch Bros./ALEC playbook for governing, which wouldn’t even let him collect a severance tax for fracking, a commonsense move that even red states have applied. Corbett is an ideological soldier for the right wing fossil fuel austerity cronies, and he’s done this state much harm. You right wingers should be grateful you got four years from this dud.
David, point to a single victim that Sandusky molested in the time period after the case was referred to the AG’s Office. There isn’t one. Why do libs like you make up facts to justify your absurd conclusions?
@DD:
You must admit that, if nothing else, I end-up provoking you to type comments that provoke me to LOL.
Bob-
Re Sandusky: “but it is possible the former could be alleviated tomorrow ” NO IT IS NOT. There is nothing in the report that will overcome Corbett’s 20 point deficit. If anything, bring up the issue again can do nothing but hurt him because he acted too slowly. Apparently, not with criminal intent to aid Sandusky, but certainly slower than he should have. Voter have already decided that his slow actions (and putting more effort into political prosecutions) allowed more raping to occur than if another AG were on the case.
2006: Sago Mine disaster
2010: Upper Big Branch Mine disaster due to Massey Energy’s complete disregard for safety and regulations.
@ DD:
You argue that the Sandusky-situation is baked-in-the-cake of overall Corbett-opposition, but it is possible the former could be alleviated tomorrow and–to whatever degree it may have bled into the latter–legislative achievements could alleviate the latter…so your claims/conclusions are premature.
Finally, your claims regarding the safety-issues facing coal-mining are both based on 20th-century data and not dispositive; this is similar to attacks on fracking and the Keystone XL…so if you are going to adhere to environmentalism, you really owe the readership facts rather than pontification.
Guzzardi didn’t articulate “idiot-ideas,” and you may recall how erroneous your multiple predictions were regarding his petitions; as you know, the Supremes claimed he didn’t follow law that even the DoS had superseded…so you cannot fault his supporters for having advocated on his behalf.
Bob-
Yes you “have maintained the PSU-issue is profound and will have to be overcome”.
And, as usual, I’m telling you that whatever people think about it is already baked into the totality of Corbett’s polling deficit, but it was an issue with his tenure as AG not Gov. As Gove, he’s f*cked the state as badly as Sandusky did the children, and the voters want him out.
Guzzardi “channeled many deeply conservative concerns”. He channeled many idiot ideas. Cawley is even dumber than Corbett (which is hard to believe, since he’s apparently able to dress himself).
Bounce-back? from doing the same things that have sunk him with voters? Yeah, right.
Undocumented environmental damage from coal? Are you f*cking kidding?
Read this and stop making a fool of yourself:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_the_coal_industry
Really, Bob, your idiocy and lunacy are ceasing to be fun, and just getting tiresome as you just keep reiterating failed and debunked right-wing talking points.
@ DD:
Your shots @ Guzzardi neglect the underlying concern that has animated your comments, namely, the problems associated with Corbett’s re-election campaign; I have maintained the PSU-issue is profound and will have to be overcome, a challenge that wouldn’t have existed if Cawley had inherited the nod.
That Guzzardi channeled many deeply conservative concerns [including the issue of tax-hikes] cannot be denied and will have to be tackled also, as Corbett attempts to motivate the base; again, Cawley wouldn’t have had as much of a problem in this regard.
In both instances, however, Corbett can rebound; in contrast, your ability to conjure false anti-Coal arguments [e.g., undocumented environmental risks]–were its “wisdom”:to be mirrored by Dems–could easily serve as one Achilles’ Heel that could metastasize [if any degree of clear-messaging were to be conveyed to the citizenry].
Bob-
“who has unilaterally declared the death of the coal industry and the inevitability of higher utility rates”
There is no inevitability of high utilities rates beyond the greed of the utility companies manipulating the market to create higher prices. The shale gas was supposed to solve our energy problems with cheap gas, but the companies are selling it overseas at higher prices, rather than sell it here cheaply.
Wind, solar and other renewables along with savings in energy efficiency are coming online as fast (or faster) than coal plants are being decommissioned.
One of the biggest problems with gas is that fracking is very harmful way to extract it for the environment (and the people living in/near that environment).
As for credibility, I’ve got way more than you. You put your rep on the line backing a crackpot like Guzzardi and it blew up in your face. When I visit state committee, I run into a lot of people who know me from my writing here and are glad to finally meet me and tell me how much they enjoy what I write (and a few who are pretty unhappy with my writing). One of the top consultants in the state suggested I ask the editors here at PoliticsPA to let me write a semi-regular guest column. I don’t have a lot of interest in that, but I appreciated the compliment.
Contrast this with the reception YOU would get at the GOP state committee events (if you were even welcome there). Don’t forget to mention you support of Guzzardi (if they even remember who he is).
@DD
For the third time this-a.m., it is necessary to call-you-to-task on this website; your recent track-record [https://www.politicspa.com/exclusive-staff-shakeup-highlights-dem-family-feud/58902/comment-page-1/#comment-868341] and your faulty logic [https://www.politicspa.com/exclusive-staff-shakeup-highlights-dem-family-feud/58902/comment-page-1/#comment-868341] have already been recounted.
In this instance, you channel your fearless-hero, BHO, who has unilaterally declared the death of the coal industry and the inevitability of higher utility rates; better you should endorse the Keystone XL Pipeline and allow free-markets to energize both America and the world [including Europe and, in particular, Ukraine].
Your ability to conjure rationalizations is your most characteristic capacity, here, but you lose credibility in the process [both from your Dem-colleagues and, of course, from GOP’ers such as myself]; perhaps you may wish to replace reflex-boosterism with an ounce of pragmatism before pontificating with such a take-no-prisoners closed-minded-ness.
DID I MENTION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zNKnIUBpr8
Listen to me talk, listen to me talk, listen to me talk, I AM SO KNOWLEDGEABLE, and I HAVE INSIDE information
I”M A MONKEY, I”M A DUCK, I”M A FROG, I”M A MORON
READ MY LIPS: I’m an IDIOT
Has Gov Crooked read a newspaper? President Obama has won Pennsylvania twice. When you got nothin you go stupid. And One Term Tom has got nothing!
READ MY LIPS TOM CORBETT AND ACTING GOVERNOR JOHN BRABENDER: In a cash-poor budget, Corbett’s tattered tax pledge could be shredded finally: John L. Micek | PennLive.com
http://blog.pennlive.com/capitol-notebook/2014/06/tom_corbett_corbett_no-tax_ple.html#incart_river
Even GOP legislators know that Corbettcare is a blatant political ploy and they have an alternative! Forget CorbettCare, DiGirolamo’s Medicaid bill is the way to go: Jennifer Clarke and Laura R. Smith | PennLive.com
http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2014/06/forget_corbettcare_digirolamos.html#incart_river
The post below at “David Diano on June 20, 2014 at 7:32 pm ” is a fake.
Kane [doesn’t] Suck-
1) I do care about coal workers. I’d like to see them get better conditions and have the mines inspected more often (instead of f the mine owners faking falsifying inspection reports).
2) Coal is a fuel of the past. Gas is considered considered less polluting (though the fracking is pretty damn polluting). So, gas is squeezing out coal.
3) Gas is unfairly subsidized in PA with abnormally low taxes. So, the coal miners should be upset.
4) There are better jobs above ground that don’t cause black-lung. We should be setting up factories in “coal country” to build clean energy products (solar, wind, etc) and paying workers decent wages in decent conditions.
5) Coal is going away like the manual typewriter. We should be investing in transitioning coal workers and their counties into 21st century jobs.
I’m an advocate for civil rights in general. I’d hardly call it a career. I call it the right thing to do. Don’t you think gay people should have the same rights as everyone else?
Fake Me-
Your experience with members the gay community is very different than what’s here on planet Earth. I think your experience is from the Police Academy movies.
David Diano, must be nice to live in Philly and not care about coal or its workers. Not everyone wants a liberal career as an advocate for homosexual rights.
“job-killing War on Coal” ???
Coal is being phased out by the shale gas industry that Corbett heavily subsidizes by failing to collect adequate taxes.
If the coal industry wants to compete, it should be insisting that the frackers pay a fair extraction tax.