21 Responses

1. The following was transmitted to a few dozen activist-Rs; it reflects the culmination of a personal quest to find SOMEONE of QUALITY to compete with Brother Brian.

   *

   “Battle on!”

   This is a two-part update regarding what has transpired during the past 48-hours, depicting the before/after statuses of Dean Malik following the climactic event @ the Irish Rover. I like to think I helped to “clarify” and to “expedite” what occurred, both publicly/privately.

   First, although it is abbreviative in written-form [and excerpted from a PoliticsPa posting], the situation as it existed [after updates provided by e-mail to prior “blast” e-mails to y’all] was presented orally to those-present. Second, an article depicting the battleground has been provided in-toto [with annotation].

   All these data have been shared candidly among all the players. Please advise if any key-parameter was [inadvertently] overlooked [either in this memo or in either of its two predecessors].

   First…

   Last night, Dean Malik announced he will challenge Brother Brian in the GOP primary for PA-8….This reflects the deep distrust among those in the GOP base with the “independence” espoused by Brother Brian….The fact that Ms. Marseglia and Ms. Naughton declined to run is indicative of the fact that the Dems are not invoking more well-known standard-bearers.

   Second…

   The combination of forthrightness and humility abounds, both during public/private comments; he will be a force with which Brother Brian will have to contend.

   During the meeting, I discussed both micro-/macro-reasons for him to end the “exploratory” component of his campaign, as detailed in a prior posting; the forces-at-play were also reviewed candidly with the author of this piece.

   Ultimately, his fate [both in the primary and, were he to emerge victorious therein, in the general election] will be determined by results of the tug-of-war between Trumpsters and Never-Trumpers; his political postures satisfy the intent of Constitutional Conservatives and, if national forces are applied to Congressional races, he may be able to enjoy an explosion of support.

   htt ps://l.facebo ok.co m/l.php?u=ht tp%3A%2F%2Fww w.buckscountycourier times.c om%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fnew-hope-attorney-announces-gop-primary-challenge-against-fitzpatrick%2Farticle_94dfd5e9-0ba1-53b2-a1cd-8283816639a2.html%3Fhp%3Dmid-threestories&h=ATPguLCj-89lciiXeJ58XSyrNVmbP0bp1__KMUXjdmYzIRSVKz1EZncXMM5PpqjgPUq1f0ql7TlqWMSXp7VA1s4UJxRlYOvLTc8aapS7yrCtoPUEymecXnGxXsqhwqwUHKaUsvyA

   By James Boyle, Staff Writer

   A New Hope defense attorney will challenge incumbent Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick for the 2018 Republican nomination in the 8th district congressional race.

   Malik made the announcement while speaking to a dozen of his supporters in the dining room of the Irish Rover in Langhorne on Tuesday night. This will be Malik’s third attempt to earn the GOP nomination in the 8th congressional district. His last campaign ended shortly after Fitzpatrick declared his candidacy in the 2016 congressional race. Fitzpatrick ultimately defeated Democrat and former state Rep. Steve Santarsiero, to replace his brother, Mike Fitzpatrick, as the 8th district’s representative.

   “I am a constitutional conservative,” said Malik. “The government should protect its citizens’ individual liberties, and that’s it. It is not there to provide welfare or increase access to health care. It should defend the liberty of unborn children and our liberty from foreign threats.”

   Tuesday night, Malik and his supporters spent about an hour venting about Fitzpatrick’s performance in the race and his actions since taking office, saying he has not been reliably loyal to President Donald Trump’s agenda. Malik criticized Fitzpatrick’s affiliation with the No Labels organization, a group of bipartisan lawmakers that seek to find compromises on key national issues, such as health care and tax reform. That approach has led Fitzpatrick to abandon the conservative principles held by many Republican voters in the 8th district, said Malik.

   “Would you ever buy a product that didn’t have a label?” asked Malik. “He has no problems labeling himself a Republican when he’s benefiting from fundraisers by the NRCC. If he truly believes in not being labeled, he should unregister from the Republican party and become an independent.”

   A spokesman from Fitzpatrick’s re-election campaign said he would not engage in campaign discussions until next year and welcomed Malik to the race. In a sit-down interview with a reporter two months ago, Fitzpatrick discussed his approach to the office, saying he considers himself a representative of the entire 8th district and will consider any ideas and solutions that will be good for all of his constituents.

   “I call balls and strikes based on the issues,” Fitzpatrick said in August. “There’s right and wrong, that’s the way I look at it. I don’t care which party comes up with an idea. If it’s a good idea, I’m behind it, if it’s a bad idea, I’m not.”

   Fitzpatrick has struck a moderate tone during the campaign and in his first year in Congress, following the footsteps of his brother. One of his most notable actions was his decision in May to vote against the American Health Care Act, House Republicans’ bill to repeal Obamacare. He also criticized some of Trump’s comments following the violent clash between protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia.

   Defining his congressional agenda depends on how you look at his voting record. Rachel Reddick, who officially started her campaign Sunday for the Democratic Party’s nomination in the 8th congressional district, said a close look shows he does not deserve to be labeled an independent voice. An analysis from fivethirtyeight.com reports that 80 percent of Trump-backed legislation received a yes vote from Fitzpatrick. Those votes include approving the repeal of several federal regulations enacted by President Barack Obama in the last months of his administration, such as an FCC rule that barred internet providers from sharing data on customers’ activities. In the past, Fitzpatrick said those votes under the Congressional Review Act were against Obama’s use of executive office to make regulations that should be proposed and debated in the legislative branch.

   Fitzpatrick voted against the repeal of environmental rules enacted by Obama, but he supported the REINS Act, which would require federal agency to submit major rules to congressional review before enacting them. Reddick said that law would seriously hamper federal regulators.

   The 80 percent rating from fivethirtyeight.com suggests Fitzpatrick is a staunch supporter of Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, but there are some on the right, like Malik, who say he has not been supportive enough. According to data compiled by Pro Publica, 22.3 percent of Fitzpatrick’s votes have gone against the Republican party. The site reports that the average House Republican votes against the party 6.3 percent of the time. FreedomWorks, a right wing think tank, scored Fitzpatrick with a 32 rating, based on his votes on a selective group of bills catering to the right’s agenda.

   Last week, Fitzpatrick voted in favor of a House bill that would criminalize medical professionals that perform abortions on fetuses that are 20 weeks or older. It continues his streak of pro-life votes, starting with his January vote in favor of banning the use of federal funds for abortions or health coverage that includes abortions. However, he also voted against the House’s 2017-18 $4.1 trillion budget that sets the stage for Trump’s tax reform initiative.

   When reached for comment, Fitzpatrick’s office explained the two votes, saying the abortion restrictions are based on medical findings that report a fetus can feel pain after five months. The bill has exceptions for cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. Fitzpatrick also did not agree with the judgment calls in the House budget and felt it “posed unnecessary challenges to accomplishing the goal of tax reform.”

   As an incumbent, Fitzpatrick also holds formidable advantages over primary challengers in terms of party support and fundraising. His June 2017 filing with the Federal Election Commission reports his re-election campaign has nearly $700,000 cash on hand, a massive head start for next year’s primary. Malik has no delusions that he would probably lose the fundraising race, but he thinks there are enough unhappy Republicans in the 8th district to give him a chance.

   “This is going to be a tough fight, and it’s going to take a lot of hard work from everybody here,” Malik said, pointing to the 12 men and women seated around the dining table. “I can’t do it without you.”

2. I will volunteer and work on Rachel’s campaign. America needs to drive away from the White Nationalist movement, I’ll do what I can to help.

3. Following initial assessment, this choice isn’t surprising; it illustrates both the national tendency to put forth Dem candidates who befit key demographics [e.g., ladies] and key policies [e.g., universal healthcare].

   Although carpetbagging appears tangential when pondering the pivotal import of socialized medicine, it was actually raised by the incumbent via a subtle statement that “welcomed” this potential competitor to the county [even as she pointedly noted her father’s roots and her mother noted her dynanism].

   As many of the above comments illustrate, Brother Brian may attempt to invoke a “home-court”-advantage when defending his seat, a “necessary but not sufficient” posture.

   Rob attempts to capture the desperation of choosing a candidate based upon personal characteristics instead of local legislative achievement, suggesting that [for example] a sitting commissioner [who would be expected to be a more potent standard-bearer] had first declined to run [despite her gender-demographic].

   This choice ultimately illustrates the potency of party politics [to be manifest both locally/nationally again in ’18] for, whereas the Dems will likely unify behind this “attractive” candidate [harboring the above-detailed predictable characteristics], it is unclear that the Rs will emulate any such “lock-step” behavior.

   1. Last night, Dean Malik announced he will challenge Brother Brian in the GOP primary; a few hours earlier, I’d recruited another potential candidate who would accept being drafted [Marina Kats].

      This reflects the deep distrust among those in the GOP base with the “independence” espoused by Brother Brian; Dean is pro-life whereas my candidate is multiple-choice, so it seems Dean may be more attractive when invoking that parameter.

      In any case, again, the fact that Ms. Marseglia and Ms. Naughton declined to run is indicative of the fact that the Dems are not invoking more well-known standard-bearers; thus, the GOP primary will now have national import, as long as Dean can assemble a potent team to achieve sufficient name-recognition.

4. So now it’s considered “lockstep” if you vote with your party 80% of the time? And in case you didn’t notice, the economy is booming and healthcare is a mess because the Democrats failed miserably to fix it the last time they were in power.

5. An ultra-liberal girl (25 by the looks of her?) in Fitzpatrick county – what lousy perpetual loser Democratic leaders put her up to this? We should all feel bad for her, because she seems like a good person and her service is honorable. Very sad that the bad and self important Democratic leaders always let down normal Democrats everywhere.

   If she’s the Dem nominee Fitz beats her by 4-7 points. If it’s someone more like another out-of-touch millionaire Harrisburg-insider/career politician like Santar-zero, Fitz wins by 10 points – again.

   1. Reddick is an attorney and Navy veteran. I am quite sure she is older than 25 unless she finished college around age 16. How dare you call her a girl. You would never call a man with the same resume a boy.

      1. She looks 25 – if she is much older than that I suppose that is a compliment, right? If the man looked younger sure why not call him a boy. People use the word “boyish” to describe exactly such a thing. Wow for some grown-up woman someone is pretty sensitive. Sad!

6. If Democrats run the same race they did 2 years ago, they will get same result….LOSE and LOSE BADLY Dems need a positive message and great candidate… Fitzpatrick name is like gold in the district.

   1. agreed – sad democratic leaders! lousy lousy people

7. I think the time is now to get rid of Fitzpatrick

8. Didn’t Fitzpatrick move from California to run for this seat just last year? Kinda hypocritical, not?

9. Rachel grew up in Bucks County so how does that make her a ‘carpetbagger?’ I think you should invest in a dictionary

10. Oh Boy! Another “Carpetbagger” Democrat to run against our Republican Congressman! Good luck with that, Democrats! Just in case you don’t know the score on that, here it is: Fitzpatrick’s 4, Carpetbaggers 0! However, the sooner Brian Fitzpatrick starts supporting President Trump’s Agenda, the better off he will be in the 2018 Elections!

    1. So you believe no one who has served in the military (where they have no choice but to move around the world every few years) can run for office after the service, because you think they are a carpetbagger. Sad to see such hate for members of our military!

       1. No, if she is a resident of Bucks County and/or the 8th District, be my guest! However, rest assured that I and many thousands of my friends will do everything to defeat ANY Democrat who runs for the 8th Congressional Seat! BTW, I am also a Vet, served in the U.S. Navy (1968-1970) with 2 tours in Vietnam. I am grateful for her service, just disappointed that she’s a Democrat!

    2. What exactly is the “Trump Agenda” to which you refer? Tweetinng nasty notes and burning through appointees? Seriously though, can you list any policy issue which he has not bungled in the most pathetic and unscrupulous way?

       Healthcare… “Nobody knew it was so complicated” was his quote I believe

       The Wall… Turns out it is a fence and you and I as taxpayers not Mexico are paying So “Believe me, Mexico will pay for it” was another lie.

       Lock Her up… his whole team was using private email servers while that chanting was at its highest pitch.

       Russia… His family and Campaign Manager were taking meetings with Kremlin connected lawyers at Trump Tower while he was screaming that he had no connection.

       These are just the simple facts. Never mind his Daughter selling access to him overseas, his puerile performance with North Korea and on and on.

       1. The Trump Agenda:
          1. Repeal and Replace “Obama-don’t-Care”!
          2. Build “the Wall” along our Southern Border!
          3. Reform the U.S. Tax Code and lower taxes for everyone!
          4. Upgrade, reinforce and modernize our Military!
          5. Enforce our Immigration Laws and remove as many illegal aliens as possible!
          6. Bring back our oversea jobs and factories!
          7. MAGA!

          As for your litany of complaints about President Trump? Too bad! He (we won), you lost! Get over it

    3. Brian Fitzpatrick is a carpetbagger himself, he moved here from “liberal” California to take his brother’s seat. He really has no leg to stand on

11. i think for she made the right choice is to run for congress because of they need more women in congress but i might be supporting for the incumbent in this district in 2018.