The Corbett campaign has been down in the polls for quite awhile, but the state’s Republican party is trying to find a way to change that by accusing Democratic nominee Tom Wolf of a major gaffe.
This morning, the PA GOP released a video which they assert shows Wolf insulting gun-owners last week at the Penn State Ag Progress Days.
The hastily assembled web video contrasts Corbett’s and Wolf’s Second Amendment records, and contains a short part of Wolf’s speech.
“By the way, I was going around to say ‘Hi’ to different people earlier before the speaker started and if you just thought I was just trying to be nice, it wasn’t that, I was looking for weapons,” Wolf says.
The video then cuts out, repeating the “looking for weapons” section. As a result, it is difficult to get any sense of context for the remark or what the reaction of the crowd was.
In a clip provided to PoliticsPA by the PA GOP that runs a couple of seconds after the web video, it appears that the crowd laughs at the joke, though you can judge for yourself.
The state Republican Party feels these remarks are similar to those made by then-Senator Barack Obama in 2008 about how some people “get bitter and cling to guns.” According to the GOP, this proves that both Wolf and Obama are “looking down their noses” at gun owners.
“Tom Wolf’s comments exposed an unsettling truth: he shares Barack Obama’s passive disdain for Pennsylvania’s rural communities,” PA GOP Chair Rob Gleason said. “It’s troubling to learn that Tom Wolf thinks it’s funny to go ‘looking for weapons’ on Pennsylvania citizens who just trying to enjoy their local summer event. Tom Wolf doesn’t view Pennsylvania’s gun owners as proud citizens of our communities; he views them as the easy targets of an offensive remark.”
Wolf campaign officials were dismissive towards the video, explaining that the candidate was clearly joking, fully supports the Second Amendment and that this is just an attempt by the Corbett team to distract from their poor economic record and administrative turmoil.
Regardless of whether you believe Wolf’s statement reveals anything or not, what is absolutely clear is that the gubernatorial campaign is exponentially heating up with fall just around the corner. So, expect many more of these kinds of attacks between now and November 4th.
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21 Responses
Just cant wait until this clown is gone, he has nearly killed this state and would undoubtedly finish it off if given a second opportunity.
He has reduced himself to a pathetic doughboy clawing at anything he thinks will turn voters against Wolf which just isnt going to happen. I do think its hilarious that all the money donated to his campaign might as well been put in a big pile and lit on fire because thats what those big donors will get for their generosity–nothing but smoke from this loser.
A laughably weak display of desperation. Are we sure the ad wasn’t made by the Wolf campaign?
I’ve seen a lot of spin and a lot of desperate attempts to land a blow, but this is quite possibly the weakest attempt and most desperate I have ever seen. It is laughable and I feel embarrassed for Corbett’s research and communications team that this is the best they could come up with.
I understand what it’s like to be behind and desperate to find anything, but this just screams “we’ve got nothing, might as well throw it and see if it sticks” without any regard to how weak this makes them look.
CALLING FOR A RALLY AT 112 STATE STREET OR BETTER KNOWN AS THE “PAGOP VICTORY CENTER”? TELL ROB GLEASON HOW SHAMEFUL IT IS TO USE FERGUSON TO EXPLOIT AS A FUND-RAISING PLOY!
WHEN CORBETT AND THE PAGOP START MAKING WOLF LOOK LIKE GEORGE JEFFERSON, WELL YOU KNOW THEY ARE IN BIG TROUBLE! http://youtu.be/L3HMcUQof-w
And I hear tonight on a Corbett ad that Wolf is a millionaire too. OMG, and you know how much Corbett hates millionaires… unless they are lining his pockets.
As an anti-establishment Republican, this is just one more reason why Gleason and the old guard PA GOP leadership have to go if we’re going to win in the future. Corbett is toast and everybody knows it. Grasping at straws like this is beyond desperate; it’s just plain stupid.
Just wow. Corbett is the duke of desperation. What a pathetic attempt to try to pump life into a political corpse that was pronounced dead 18 months ago.
ROB GLEASON LIGHTS CANDLES EVERYDAY AT DAILY MASS FOR A PA-FERGUSON STYLE RACIAL ALTERCATION TO SALVAGE THE FAILING CAMPAIGN OF THE CORBETT AND THE PAGOP! STOP THE EXPLOITATION! CORBETT: YOU CAN’T DISTRACT VOTERS FROM YOUR OWN SCANDALS! http://keystonepolitics.com/2013/07/the-pa-republican-partys-leadership-needs-to-quit-race-based-politics/
I don’t who has the final word on the campaign strategy but this is really bad. Wolf is no funny guy but it’s clear he was joking. Wow are they desperate.
you no dat cris martininez guy is trying hard to be a commodian (without success)
because no uman bean can be so dumb
unles ur gorge buush
THIS IS HOW CORBETT, GLEASON AND THE PAGOP CAPITALIZE ON FERGUSON-ABSOLUTELY SHAMEFUL!
TOM CORBETT AND HIS PAGOP CHAIR ROB GLEASON ARE UP TO THEIR DESPERATE TRICKS! HOW SOON WILL IT BE UNTIL ACTING GOVERNOR BRABENDER DARKENS WOLF SKIN IN A CORBETT/BRABENDER AD? SOUND THE ALARM BELLS-DRIVE UP THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN VOTE WOLFPACK!! The PA Republican Party’s Leadership Needs to Quit Race-Based Politics – Keystone Politics
http://keystonepolitics.com/2013/07/the-pa-republican-partys-leadership-needs-to-quit-race-based-politics/
guvenor corbitt aint tryng to distant hisself from nobody, he doing a good job and he aint gonna loose in nove. and he gonna win in a land slide that for dam sure.
The desperation from Camp Corbett is now evident … it is not even Labor Day..has One Term Tom’s kayak taken on that much water?
Wolf was making a joke about being in a room where the majority of the 600 attending were rural Republicans. I was there. It wasn’t a particularly good joke, and he’s not a stand up comic. But it was a comment about him, not about anybody’s Second Amendment rights.
First, the F.O.P that is backing Wolf Is ONLY Lodge #5 ( Philadelphia) it was also done by 3 votes and the main person voting for this was F.O.P President John NcNesby. John is also the one who is going to take over Senator Mike Stacks Senate Seat if Wolf wins and Mike Stack then Becomes the Lt Governor.. The Rank and file F.O.P Members were very upset over this slimeball move by the President of Lodge #5…
Man, he’s getting desperate.
Speaking as a pro-gun rights Republican, this is a terrible attempt to sling mud, as it was obvious Wolf was making a joke.
The GOP strategy seems be:
1) Tie Wolf to Obama
2) Distance Corbett from Corbett
How desperate is Governor Corbett? He’s now afraid of losing the gun lobby? Let me tell you something Governor, you’re in big trouble when you have to spend your resources on shoring up your supporters…..oh right you’ve already starting losing them. The FOP have moved from you to Tom Wolf. Good luck with you next job.