Good Friday Morning. The end of another week.

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What We’re Hearing
“It’s the nature of this position. It’s the nature of politics, of life. Not everyone agrees with everything.”

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Top Story

1. Biden Comes to Philly, Will Make Case For 2024 Success

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are going to be doing a lot of looking backward as they come to Philadelphia Friday and aim to move Democrats forward.

They’ll arrive just days ahead of the State of the Union address, when presidents usually lay out their grandest dreams for the coming year. But given the newly divided powers on Capitol Hill, Democrats acknowledge they probably won’t be able to deliver many (if any) big new policy victories.

“It’s really important we let people know what we’ve done,” Biden said at a fund-raiser this week in New York. “We can now go out and make our case.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

Biden, Harris Head to Philadelphia As They Hone 2024 Message. “President Biden and Vice President Harris are off to Philadelphia on Friday, a rare joint trip for the two leaders that will be a mix of the White House showing off its work and looking ahead to 2024.” (The Hill)

Democrats Are Looking To Project Unity In Philly This Week After a Bitter RNC Meeting. “A week after bitter divisions dominated a national Republican gathering, Democrats holding their own meeting in Philadelphia are eager to showcase just how much they agree on.” (AP)

Pennsylvania GOP Is Sticking With Its Current Leadership Despite Suffering Big 2022 Losses. “Pennsylvania GOP chair Lawrence Tabas said he’ll stress the importance of mail voting during the party’s winter meeting in Hershey this weekend.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Breaking a ‘Cement’ Ceiling: Summer Lee’s Journey To Becoming The State’s First Black Congresswoman. “Summer Lee’s inauguration wasn’t the celebratory moment her family envisioned. Instead of watching Lee be sworn in as the first Black woman to represent Pennsylvania in Congress, her mother and grandmother were dozing off in the House gallery as a Republican standstill over electing a new speaker dragged into its eighth hour.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Cartwright Retains Appropriations Committee Seat. “U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright will remain on the powerful House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee.” (Times-Tribune)

Harrisburg

2. Rozzi Says Cutler Is The Problem, Works On Crafting ‘Rozzi Rules’

“The State House, which has been in a state of paralysis for more than a month, has no rules, no session day, and apparently no plan on how to move forward. It does, however, have a Speaker who has been mostly silent up until now.” (abc27)

Related

Embattled PA House Speaker Changes Locks On Room With Sensitive House GOP Materials. “The top Republican in the state House escalated his attacks this week on the Democratic speaker he helped elect, after the speaker locked Republicans out of an office suite without warning.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

PA House Leader Irate After Staffer Locked Out of His Office, Accuses Speaker Rozzi of ‘Breach of Trust.’ “The partisan rancor that has left the Pennsylvania House of Representatives essentially on lockdown is showing no letup.” (PennLive)

The Public Has a Message For Rozzi’s Listening Group: ‘Let Us Be Heard.’ “Pennsylvania House Speaker Mark Rozzi (D-Berks) is continuing to hear from people about how the chamber should operate over the next two years. Their message has been clear: the public should have a greater say in policymaking.” (WESA)

• PA House Speaker Comes to Wilkes-Barre to Listen. (Times Leader)
• A Time to Listen: Rozzi Visits King’s College, Hears From Unhappy Citizens. (Times-Tribune)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Shapiro Administration Orders 2,300 State Employees Back to the Office

“About 2,300 state government employees, many of whom had been working a hybrid schedule allowing them to work remotely, will now be reporting to the office at least three days a week under a new Shapiro Administration policy to take effect on March 6.” (PennLive)

Related

Special Election Preview: State House 34th District. “How does one replace progressive Democrat Summer Lee in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives? (PoliticsPA)

Special Elections In Allegheny County Could Determine Path Forward For Deadlocked General Assembly. “Voters in Allegheny County will choose state representatives in three legislative districts in special elections on Tuesday. The outcome of the races could determine control of the state House and end the partisan gridlock that has paralyzed the General Assembly.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Senators Propose Acceleration of PA Corporate Tax Rate Reduction. “Could Pennsylvania become more attractive to out-of-state business and industry sooner than later?” (PoliticsPA)

At Nearly $14M, 7th Congressional District Race Ranks 1st Among House Races in PA. “The 2022 congressional campaign for the Lehigh Valley-based 7th District cost nearly $13.7 million, the most expensive House contest in Pennsylvania, according to an analysis of final campaign finance reports filed this week with the Federal Elections Commission.” (Armchair Lehigh Valley)

How Expensive Is Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner’s Impeachment? “The impeachment of Philadelphia’s District Attorney is being appealed to the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court. However, it’s not clear yet whether the justices hear the case. A right-to-know request, uncovered by abc27, shows that going after Krasner has been a very expensive proposition for Pennsylvania.” (abc27)

Keeping Score: What The Latest Reports On Local Political Fundraising Really Mean. “Chances are that if you’re reading this, you know that candidates in local elections were required to report their 2022 financial activities, if any, this week.” (WESA)

Fiscal Cliff Ahead, Treasurer Warns. “While Pennsylvania’s budget remains in good fiscal shape for the short term, the treasurer warned of potential problems on the horizon.” (The Center Square)

PA GOP Groups Holding Events With Organizer of ‘Stop The Steal’ Rallies in 2020. “A Republican activist who organized the “Stop the Steal” rallies in Harrisburg in 2020 and has been linked to right-wing fringe groups will be headlining several Pennsylvania GOP events over the next week.” (PennLive)

Five Takeaways on PA’s Fragmented Local Governments. “(A December) investigation raised questions about transparency and accountability in local governments, including whether taxpayers are best served by Pennsylvania’s fragmented system of more than 2,500 cities, townships, and boroughs.” (Spotlight PA)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.

• Something Very Important For Democrats Just Happened In PA. (Frank Bruni, New York Times)
• Why The GOP Lost The Philadelphia Suburbs. (Valentino DeGeorgio, Broad + Liberty)
• How To Fix The Broken Political System in Harrisburg and Washington. (Joshua Siegel, Morning Call)
• Can ChatGPT3 Make PA A Red State? (Athan Koutsiouroumbas, PhillyBurbs.com)
• Does PA Have a Real-Life ‘Groundhog Day’ Problem? (Tribune-Review)
• Why Are Cyber Charter Schools Banking Tax Dollars Intended to Educate Students? (Paul Muschick, Morning Call)
• State Laws Can Prevent Tragedies Without Penalizing Responsible Gun Owners. (Jennifer O’Mara, City & State)

1 Thing

5. The Boss Is Back

“At 15, it’s all tomorrows. And at 73, it’s a whole lot of yesterdays,” exuberant Bruce Springsteen told the crowd at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday night, as he and his E Street Band embarked on their first major tour in six years. Then he added: “That’s why you’ve got to make the most of right now.”

The Boss will be in Philadelphia on March 16 and State College two nights later. Personally, we are looking forward to the BJC show. (AP)

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