This week it has been all about the Republicans and the RNC. But the PA Dems aren’t sitting on the sidelines.
Their target? Gov. Tom Corbett.
The Dems sent out an email alert Tuesday linking to an article written by Philly Daily News’ John Baer. The article highlighted the differences between Pennsylvania’s two Toms: Gov. Corbett and former Gov. Ridge:
“Gov. Tom Corbett, in his second year in office, isn’t getting the kind of attention at the GOP convention that Gov. Tom Ridge did in his second year in office during the 1996 convention.
Corbett heads the state delegation in Tampa as Ridge did at Bob Dole’s convention in San Diego.
But Corbett isn’t speaking at this convention. Ridge spoke at that one.”
Baer said there are a few reasons that Corbett wasn’t given a more prominent role.
GOP state party Chair Rob Gleason said Corbett isn’t a “self-promoter” and the Guv’s press secretary said Corbett has “no national aspirations” and didn’t seek a speaking slot.
There’s another reason too: Corbett waited to endorse Mitt Romney until after Sen. Rick Santorum left the race.
But according to the Dems, the real problem is Corbett’s dismal approval rating.
“America’s least popular governor, Tom Corbett, is getting the cold shoulder at the Republican convention as national Republicans continue to distance themselves from Gov. Corbett and his unpopular policies,” wrote the Dems in an email. “National Republicans don’t want to remind Pennsylvanians that Mitt Romney and Tom Corbett have the same out of touch agenda.”
The Dems kept on message yesterday with another alert that hit the same point: Corbett’s poll numbers are “underwater” and Romney has been avoiding him at the convention and in the Keystone State to prevent a negative association:
“It’s no surprise that national Republicans have figured out exactly what Pennsylvanians already knew, Governor Corbett and his failed policies of devastating education cuts, laying off teachers, raising taxes on middle class Pennsylvania families and refusing to fund desperately needed bridge and road repairs is unacceptable,” said PA Dems spokesman James Hallinan in an email titled “Toxicity Alert.”
State GOP spokesperson Valerie Caras said that the Dems’ emails show the true difference between the two parties’ tactics and messages.
“If the Pennsylvania Democratic Party wants to talk political toxicity, ask them why Democrats like Sen. Bob Casey and Rep. Mark Critz flee when President Obama comes to town. Ask them why President Obama’s campaign is based on attacks and distractions so he can avoid talking about four years of broken promises and record high unemployment. President Obama’s failed record is the epitome of political toxicity and vulnerable Democrats throughout Pennsylvania know it,” she said.
Caras added that the GOP will win – and will do so with the help of Corbett, who she called “a key member of our team.”
While it’s true that Corbett wasn’t on hand for some of the more recent GOP stops across the state, he did make an appearance with Romney when the candidate stopped in Lebanon County in June and has since sent out a press release endorsing Romney’s energy plan.
Loading ...
4 Responses
Sandusky is gonna’ hang on Corbett’s neck like an albatross. Corbett’s failure to do anything about Sandusky in his nearly two years as state attorney general will come back to bite him on the butt, especially as people find out about how he took money from Second Mile to the tune of over $600,000. The way he tied this whole Sandusky thing to Joe Paterno doesn’t sit well with those who know Corbett’s role in trying to make Paterno out to be the bad guy because Paterno wouldn’t endorse him because of the conflict of interest of making a gubernatorial endorsement of someone who would become a member of the Penn State Board of Trustees. Corbett also had is out for Graham Spanier because he wouldn’t endorse him either and Corbett thought Spanier was too friendly with Corbett;s opponent, Dan Onorato in the 2010 Governor’s race in PA. This whole Sandusky Penn State thing is political payback for not endorsing Corbett. Anybody with a brain that can add 2 plus 2 knows it. Corbett is toxic in Pennsylvania, Romney and his team knows that and is doing it’s best to distance Romney from Corbett because he needs PA to win this election. Want a litmus test? See if Romney does a campaign stop in Philly with Corbett. If not then you know Corbett isn’t worth a crap in PA and is useless to Romney in a state Romney desperately needs to win the presidency. P.S. Corbett will never win re-election because of the Sandusky thing. By 2014 Corbett’s role in the whole Sandusky/Penn State thing will be well known and there are quite a number of Penn State Alumni in the state who will not be happy campers when they find out how Corbett took down Joe Paterno and sullied his name over the Sandusky scandal.
http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/7770996/in-wake-joe-paterno-death-sandusky-sex-abuse-scandal-power-struggle-spread-penn-state-state-capital
Senator Casey’s time has come- he’s nothing but a dog on a leash for the Dem Party. We need Tom Smith to help privatize Social Security- what a total joke that is- and we need him to help Audit the Federal Reserve.
http://www.senatorcaseyrecord.com/
Lots of “Buyer’s Remorse” on this one…too bad the Wagner Supporters and the Dems’ leadership isn’t more focused on winning elections by treating the Voters like participating adults instead of profiled targets. That Harry Reed skates on Senate cowardice says it all. No sour grapes, but Onorato would have the books open and be offering respectful input by now. Instead, the insipid fauxgressives managed to motivate the Electorate to caste a spite vote in an effort to rock this Economy out of the Ditch. Put it in “D” and gas it, shift rapidly to “R,” gas in strongest gear. Repeat as necessary until you’re out of the ditch. That should tell the Dems about the value of a known commodity at the top of the ticket – Sestak – like Obama – was only about his own election and sabataged other Dems.
I don’t know why this is so complicated. Corbett is the tool of convicted felon Bob Asher who went to federal prison for political corruption. Asher’s association with Rudy in ’08 splashed across ABC News and helped doom that candidacy. Knowing this, and knowing that Corbett chose to attack the legislature full bore while going after Sandusky in a half-baked way, all the while having as the Chairman of his campaigns the criminal Asher, is it any wonder Corbett is toxic?