Conservatives gathered 700-strong for the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference this weekend and dined in the ballroom of the Camp Hill Radisson for the annual Liberty Dinner.
After dinner, they were treated to an address from Republican Governor Tom Corbett.
He promoted his economic record and knocked his opponents gently, which resonated well with the crowd.
“Despite what we came up against, we have reduced the deficit and we are putting people back to work in PA and thats just in 3 years. Imagine what we could do, with your help, in 8 years,” Corbett said. “No more kicking the can down the road to make the fiscal problems worse. We’ve seen enough of that in Harrisburg and we’ve seen a lot of it in DC.”
Corbett went on to equate the four Democrats running against him to the President Obama and Nancy Pelosi type liberals that are the very antithesis of this weekend’s conference. He talked about creating a friendly business climate by reducing taxes and helping the job creators.
“All of this is part of the record I will submit to the voters in a few months and I hope they will honor me with a second term, even if I haven’t managed to be the most popular at all times,” Corbett stated, reiterating a line from one of his commercials that he didn’t come to Harrisburg to make friends, but rather to make tough decisions.
He ended his remarks with a call to arms.
“Whichever opponent they send my way, I’ll be ready. I’ll run on the issues,” Corbett said as he finished his address. “We’re going to make our case to the people of Pennsylvania and we’re going to win on November 4th.”
But before the address, attendees were treated to a video that can only be described as PLC catnip. It opened with a clip of President Ronald Reagan beseeching Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall and then examined the history of the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference to the tune of Neil Diamond’s “Coming To America.”
“While we had a conservative conference starting in 1989, we had it in the years up to 2004, but a seat change occurred in 2004 and then the candidacy of Pat Toomey opposing Arlen Specter,” Fred Anton, described as the grandfather of PLC, said in explanation of the fervent rebirth of PLC. “There was a group in the Republican party that was beginning to turn to the right. They were disappointed in Arlen for being, what I would call, left of center.”
The dinner was preceded by a reception with conservative author Jonah Goldberg, conservative author and pundit who regularly contributes to Fox News, National Review and a series of large print papers.
Goldberg spoke again after Corbett’s address and cracked jokes at the expense of Obama, Democrats and other variations of those on the left.
Conservative festivities resume tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. for the Freedom Breakfast.
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8 Responses
@ PA-Indy-1:
I will support the GOP-nominee, not only because i’ve been a committeeperson for two decades, but also because the superiority of Corbett vs. any of the four in the [presumed] Wolf-Pack is intuitive.
Your aspersions are entertaining, and they certainly provide support for efforts to promote Guzzardi’s initiative; ultimately, however, they provide insufficient support for any of the Dems…although it is possible that your ideas [and mine] could find a home in the political agenda of a re-elected Corbett [an effort that i’ve been trying to advance, most recently during the past 24-hours @ PLC].
This article–and that of Robert Vickers [per the below-hyperlink]–capture the mood of those-assembled…700 activists who were not convinced of the sincerity of the “establishment” when it professed support for a “kumbaya moment” [particularly during the 8 a.m. panel, which included TEA Party Movement activists who…along with the moderator…blurred their privately-averred concerns, a bit].
http:/ /www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/04/
corbetts_beseeches_conservativ.html
Dear Dr. Sklaroff: I need to correct you. Rob Gleason is correct: The PAGOP is all inclusive if you get your jollies from race-based divisive campaigns, if you are in favor of Corporate Welfare, if you are a card-carrying member of the Republican Consulting Class or most importantly if you like to commit political necrophilia at the expense of Tom and Suzy Corbett and the taxpayers of PA. Yes Doctor: I don’t want to join Mr. Gleason’s country club; neither should you or Mr. Guzzardi.
Noting the spontaneous and loud groan when Gleason said his state-gop is inclusive
which just transpired
the above is applicable to the state establishment
particularly noting the frivolous suit against guzzardi’s candidacy
that you countenanced.
To Fred Anton, the business community, the RSC and the Conservative movement: this will be the year where your lemming approach to PA politics finally puts the last nail in the Republican coffin. It started in ’04, true, when you were divided in the two primaries (Specter/Toomey and Corbett/Castor). Failure to work together created a huge rift, an all out civil war, actually, within the Republican Party. Toomey finally won six year later but distrusts the party, rightly so. Corbett has, politically, been a disaster. The next cycle from ’04, 2006, lemmings to the sea again with Santorum, losing the seat and tens of millions of dollars no thought of changing candidates despite everyone knowing Rick was toast. In the interim, the GOP lost ALL state row office seats, lost state senate seats, and is poised to get slaughtered in the governor’s race. Another lemmings to the sea story, Mr. Anton. A year ago it was obvious Corbett is toast. So you lost the US Senate seat, all the state row office seats, you have already, effectively, lost the state senate because of divisions within the caucus and may lose it outright this fall. And, Mr. Anton, you’re going to lose the governor now too, no thought of changing candidates. And you know what RSC et al? Backing Specter over Toomey and Corbett over Castor on ’04 began the parade of lemmings. About lemmings? They don’t climb back up the cliff. So when their leaders are all gone, the party of lemmings simply vanishes into insignificance. You guys killed yourselves.
I see the crybaby liberals are whining and pooping their panties once again because the big bad Republican speaks! Grow up you litterbugs. I bet many of you are scuz lawyers.
13th:
Having Democrats leading both houses of Congress didn’t stop Obama from blaming his predecessor.
| “Despite what we came up against…”
Yeah. Must be tough governing with a Republican House and Republican Senate led by allies of yours.
Corbett ‘phoned-in his speech; Jonah said afterwards that he eschews citing “liberal fascism” due to concern it requires too much explanation.