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6/5 Ups & Downs

A Governor under pressure, an Attorney General under water and an ex-Mayor under investigation. See who made this week’s list!

Up ArrowDown ArrowTom Wolf. It was the best of weeks, it was the worst of weeks for Governor Tom Wolf. The biggest event was the sudden budget showdown that the Gov found himself in after some clever maneuvers by the GOP left Wolf’s tax proposals twisting in the wind. One can only imagine what the meeting in the Governor’s Mansion was like after that. At the same time, a new PPP survey showed that his personal numbers aren’t stellar, Wolf’s proposals are popular (though our reader poll wasn’t as kind). In the midst of all this, the Governor also had to prepare in case the Supreme Court guts Obamacare. Finally, several cabinet members were confirmed over the course of the last few days. It’s going to a memorable summer, for well or ill, for the commonwealth’s 47th Governor.

Down ArrowStephen Reed. Any time the police raid your home, that pretty much guarantees you’re gonna get a down arrow come Friday. That’s what happened to former Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed on Tuesday. Agents from the Attorney General’s office removed antiques from Reed’s home while reporters and onlookers tweeted the whole thing. It now appears the ex-Mayor is being investigated over the acquisition of those artifacts. There’s no telling how this tale will play out.

Up ArrowSame-Sex Marriage. The most surprising story of the 2010’s may ultimately be the sudden shift in attitudes towards same-sex marriage. The new PPP poll illustrates just how quickly Pennsylvania has changed. In just four years, the split on this issue flipped from 52/36 against to 51/41 for. Perhaps even more shocking, we just passed the one-year anniversary of marriage equality in PA and the event went by with barely any notice. The days of same-sex marriage being a divisive social issue appear to be truly over.

Down ArrowKathleen Kane. It’s gotten to the point that every Sunday morning, the Attorney General must be furiously checking Twitter to see if Angela Couloumbis and Craig McCoy have a new story in the Inquirer. This week the duo pointed out a nationwide trend of AG’s allowing private law firms to suggest and handle cases for their states. Worse for Kane, though, were the poll numbers that were soon revealed. Both PPP and RMU conducted surveys that showed the more people know about her ordeal, the less likely they are to support her. To top it all off, that infamous sting case continues to proceed.

Up ArrowSeth Williams. Speaking of that sting case, it remains a badge of pride for Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams. State Representative Ronald Waters and former State Rep. Harold James each accepted plea deals on Monday. State Rep. Vanessa Brown, however, refused to take a deal and will be going to trial. With rumors that Williams has dreams of statewide political office, this case could end up being a gold mine for him in the future.

The tweet of the week goes to the Inquirer’s Claudia Vargas who broke the sad news of the passing of Stephen Wojdak.

8 Responses

  1. Cuffs? What cuffs? Can’t be wearing cuffs to get a slap on the wrist.

  2. Thank you Frank Fina and the rest of your prosecutorial Dream Team. Without you legends these typical crumb Democrats would still be in office. Kane will be the next one in cuffs sooner than later. Seth you are a brilliant man. The sky is now the limit for your political career. Very well respected in both parties.

  3. If Conflict of Interest was actually a crime of consequence, we’d have to indict 95% of the politicians in Harrisburg. The entire sting operation was a clusterf*** overseen by the King of the Clusterf***s, Frank Fina.

  4. Montco PA Dem, how angry does it make you that another Democrat pleaded guilty and ADMITTED FAULT IN OPEN COURT before resigning her seat? But you just can’t bring yourself to admit that Kathleen Kane was dead wrong.

  5. Fina took care of that for us, didn’t he? And I thought you guys were into animals, not prosecutors. Same difference, I guess.

  6. That’s some mighty fine spin you put on the Seth Williams arrow. Certainly, the description above is how a Williams PR team would put things. A more-realistic appraisal might note that he still hasn’t brought any of these sting cases to trial, every one of the targets has been able to plea to a wrist slap that allows them to walk away with virtually no penalty and for a lot less than it would cost to go court. And the two most recent cases keep their state pensions in full. All signs of a horribly botched investigation that benefitted no one, except maybe the sleazeball Tyron Ali, who was allowed by Frank Fina to walk away with $430,000 in fraudulent payments meant for seniors and children in exchange for his role as “undercover operative.” Truly amazing how outlets like this one have lined up to sugarcoat this incompetence.

  7. How about some arrows for Republicans? Just what has the Senate or House leadership accomplished in the last week? Are they truly working on getting a budget done by June 30, or just posturing so they can delay another Democratic Governor’s budget?

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