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3/31 Ups & Downs


A Congressman makes headlines all week, a candidate considers tossing his hat into the ring, and a new show for a longtime Pennsylvania reporter.  See who made this week’s Ups & Downs!

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Charlie Dent.  Congressman Charlie Dent has been in the press constantly this week for standing against the far right parts of the Republican Party and probably gaining support of many moderates across the state and country in the process.  

 

 

 

Down ArrowScott Wagner.  State Senator Scott Wagner’s comments on the cause of climate change will not make him many friends on the other side of the aisle, and will likely be brought up again in his run for Governor.

 

 

 

Up-Arrow4-2Down ArrowJustin Simmons.  State Representative Justin Simmons revealed this week he is considering a run for Lieutenant Governor.  As a candidate with little statewide name recognition getting into the race early is the best way to build the statewide support that is necessary to win.  But his broken promise to retire after three terms in his current seat will be an issue for him the entire campaign.  

 

 

Up-Arrow4-2Al Schmidt and Philly DA’s Office. Only time will tell if the PAGOP’s federal lawsuit will yield charges, changes, or is primarily a vehicle to keep ‘Philly Dems are corrupt’ in the headlines. But City Commissioner Al Schmidt and the District Attorney’s office reacted quickly to the claims of voter fraud and electioneering in the 197th District special election, opening an investigation the same day the official results were tallied.

 

Down Arrow Al Lord and PSU.  Penn State Trustee Al Lord said this week that he was “running out of sympathy” for the “so-called” victims of Jerry Sandusky.  Sandusky was convicted of 45 charges related child sexual abuse.  He made this statement days after former PSU President Graham Spanier was found guilty of child endangerment.  The entire exchange casts another shadow of Penn State and its handling of the Sandusky conviction.  

 

Up-Arrow4-2Salena Zito.  The longtime Pittsburgh reporter launched her own show on SiriusXM this week.  The show will air every Tuesday from 2-3 p.m. on the P.O.T.U.S. channel.  Zito gained national fame when she coined the phrase “The press takes him literally, but not seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally” about Trump.  She is growing her national profile after having her ear to the ground and hearing the populist movement in 2016.  

 

 

Bonus Up/Down: Every week, PoliticsPA will be including a bonus up or down, that is exclusive to Playbook email subscribers.  To sign up to see the bonus arrow click here.

The tweet of the week goes to Jake Sternberger for his breakdown of life’s seasons:

https://twitter.com/JakeSternberger/status/847561727847923712

3 Responses

  1. Al Lord needs to resign and people associated with PSU need to stop defending a culture that protected a child rapist for over a decade. This is ridiculous. It’s basic right and wrong. You are not a victim because your school justifiably got a ton of bad press because of criminal actions that went up to the very top. While I am not in favor of punishing students who were not even around for the despicable activity, the school has a lot of atoning to do. Al Lord’s dismissal of victims of horrific abuse is disgusting and demonstrative of a moral rottenness and a deficit of character, empathy, and basic human decency. The sad part is he felt bold enough to vocalize his opinions; one wonders how many share the sentiments but are smart enough to remain silent.

  2. Former Lower Merion Constable Eric Bradway is running for Governor on The Democratic Ticket in 2018

  3. How many down arrows does Trump get this week? It should be the entire quiver.

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