November 18, 2009 – We are proud to announce RJ Harris US Congressional Candidate Oklahoma 4th District has been endorsed by The Republican Liberty Caucus National Board. Below is the RLC’s letter of endorsement which you may also find at www.RJHarris2010.com

REPUBLICAN LIBERTY CAUCUS ENDORSES

RJ HARRIS

Oklahoma’s 4th District US Congress

November 17, 2009

The Republican Liberty Caucus is pleased to announce its endorsement of R.J. Harris in his campaign to represent the 4th District of Oklahoma in the House of Representatives.

The RLC Board of Directors selected Mr. Harris as one of its first endorsed candidates for the 2010 primary season because of his issue stances in support of individual rights, limited government, and free enterprise. We believe Mr. Harris will be a strong defender of liberty as a member of Congress and an outstanding representative for the people of Oklahoma.

“As a soldier Mr. Harris has pledged his life to support and defend the Constitution. He has the character and integrity to be the next Congressman from Oklahoma because he has done something that most congressmen have not done, and that is he has actually reads and understands the Constitution,” said RLC National Committee member Dan Sheill.

Dave Nalle, of Texas, the national chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus, mentioned that “what separates R.J. Harris from most conservatives today is that he fully understands that respect for the 10th Amendment and federalism requires that Congress and the President cannot legislate social policy that is properly reserved to the states.”

The Republican Liberty Caucus wishes Mr. Harris good luck in his campaign, and will do everything in its power to promote him and Republican candidates like him to bring the Republican Party back to its core principles of individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise.

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To read more about RJ Harris and his position on the issues you may visit:

Harris’s blogs are free to use for Op-Ed’s and Editorial’s.

About RJ Harris:

RJ Harris is a currently serving nineteen-year Oklahoma Army National Guard Officer, two-time Iraq War Veteran and U.S. Congressional Candidate for Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District. He is a University of Oklahoma graduate in Philosophy and a second year law student at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. RJ is a Constitutional Conservative Republican and the first 912 Liberty Candidate in the nation. He has appeared on Fox News’ Freedom Watch twice with Judge Andrew Napolitano and been the featured guest on conservative/libertarian talk-radio programs across the country.

November 18, 2009 – We are proud to announce RJ Harris US Congressional Candidate Oklahoma 4th District has been endorsed by The Republican Liberty Caucus National Board. Below is the RLC’s letter of endorsement which you may also find at www.RJHarris2010.com

REPUBLICAN LIBERTY CAUCUS ENDORSES

RJ HARRIS

Oklahoma’s 4th District US Congress

November 17, 2009

The Republican Liberty Caucus is pleased to announce its endorsement of R.J. Harris in his campaign to represent the 4th District of Oklahoma in the House of Representatives.

The RLC Board of Directors selected Mr. Harris as one of its first endorsed candidates for the 2010 primary season because of his issue stances in support of individual rights, limited government, and free enterprise. We believe Mr. Harris will be a strong defender of liberty as a member of Congress and an outstanding representative for the people of Oklahoma.

“As a soldier Mr. Harris has pledged his life to support and defend the Constitution. He has the character and integrity to be the next Congressman from Oklahoma because he has done something that most congressmen have not done, and that is he has actually reads and understands the Constitution,” said RLC National Committee member Dan Sheill.

Dave Nalle, of Texas, the national chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus, mentioned that “what separates R.J. Harris from most conservatives today is that he fully understands that respect for the 10th Amendment and federalism requires that Congress and the President cannot legislate social policy that is properly reserved to the states.”

The Republican Liberty Caucus wishes Mr. Harris good luck in his campaign, and will do everything in its power to promote him and Republican candidates like him to bring the Republican Party back to its core principles of individual liberty, limited government, and free enterprise.

###########

To read more about RJ Harris and his position on the issues you may visit:

Harris’s blogs are free to use for Op-Ed’s and Editorial’s.

About RJ Harris:

RJ Harris is a currently serving nineteen-year Oklahoma Army National Guard Officer, two-time Iraq War Veteran and U.S. Congressional Candidate for Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District. He is a University of Oklahoma graduate in Philosophy and a second year law student at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. RJ is a Constitutional Conservative Republican and the first 912 Liberty Candidate in the nation. He has appeared on Fox News’ Freedom Watch twice with Judge Andrew Napolitano and been the featured guest on conservative/libertarian talk-radio programs across the country.

Three newcomers landed the top spots in the Asheville City Council primary on Oct. 6, coming in ahead of two incumbents vying to keep their seats. But a dramatically low voter turnout cast a shadow on the evening.

Cecil Bothwell, Gordon Smith and Esther Manheimer (in that order) lead the pack of six Council candidates that will advance to the general election in November and vie for three seats. Council member Kelly Miller, who was appointed one year ago to fill a seat left by Holly Jones, came in fourth, ahead of two-term Council member Carl Mumpower. Newcomer J. Neal Jackson filled out the sixth spot.

Read the Full Story
Six picked in Asheville Council primary; Mayor Bellamy takes strong lead

It’s not just Dave Westlake that our good Senator Feingold will be facing in 2010: Multi-millionaire real estate developer Terrence “Terry” Wall has entered the race.

I remember Terry from my days in Madison. He and some other developer buddies tried to foil the Progressive Dane Party by registering the domain names progressivedane.com, .org, and .net. While there was some brief gnashing of teeth amongst the party members over this, I registered prodane.com and .org, and transferred them to the party’s ownership. And when Wall and co.’s more verbose domain names expired, PD bought them for their own use. They use those domains to this very day, but they all redirect to the concise prodane URL.

That said, here’s a glimpse of where Mr. Wall stands on things that matter, according to an email from the Feingold campaign. (Of course they’ve got an interest in having their man win, but the info still stands.)

Health Care:

“…our [health care] system is not broken,” and that “…health care for all is really rationed health care…” where (and here he plays into the thoroughly debunked ‘death panels’ claim) “..the government also becomes the final arbiter of who lives and who dies…”

Trade, and Wall Street:

“…I don’t think Wall Street should be regulated…” [He does suggest that the investment banks be differentiated from the regular banks, and not subject to federal bailouts. That actually sounds reasonable. But the pulled quote still stands. Link.]

“…we must continue to try to break down the barriers to free trade overseas and particularly in China.” [Link.]

I’m curious where they got these quotes from, but it seems consistent with what I knew of Mr. Wall. [Update: They're his own words. Link 1, Link 2.] He’s a millionaire who’s got no idea of how it feels to be someone who’s lost their benefits, or lost a job that went overseas. It is likely that he will use his money to run an aggressive (read: dirt) campaign against Sen. Feingold.  Russ has beat millionaires a time or two before, but that is no reason to rest assured that he will beat Mr. Wall.

Let’s help Russ win!

I have thought long and hard on this subject over the past twenty years as I have observed one scandal after another. We need to elect regular people who struggle to get along with all the taxes and government regulation the way most of us “common folk” do.  How many aides does a soccer mom of three young children need? She does it by herself. How many aides does the average construction superintendent have? None, he has to get the building up on time and under budget or get fired. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have common sense be common among congress?

The rich elite that have governed (ruled) in this country for the past 100 plus years stink at it. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, with the middle class getting crushed. We outnumber the elite 95% to 5%. Why don’t we join up regardless of party and put a stop to it? Almost every district is gerrymandered to suit one party or the other any way. This is done to keep the elite, rich incumbents in office. If all of us common folk joined together one time we would have a government of the people, by the people, for the people. I do not have anything against rich elite people. I say good for them and that gives me hope that one day I will be able to make it or my kids will. They just do not represent me or those like me. The hard working folks of the good ol’ USA.

I would hope that along with myself, others would help me work on bringing down costs of everything “We the People” have to buy or use every day. We would eliminate about 60% of government payrolls, because it takes more than 50 families paying in their hard earned money to fund one government employee. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out if we had say, a million less we could pay 50 million times less. I am guessing that products would cost less as well without a government beuracrat running up the cost to justify his existence.

I have identified cost savings to the American taxpayers of over 50% without cutting services. I think I would want to use that money to pay off our national debt, which could soon cost 20% of our entire federal budget just for the interest! Please vote in the primaries as this is our only chance to rid ourselves of worthless incumbents. Maybe, just maybe, if we elect common folks they will not think they know so much and will just follow the U.S. Constitution. I for one plan on doing nothing more and nothing less. God Bless America!

Even if it’s not as exciting as the last time you were in the booth.

You know what they say. It really does. Life DOES get in the way. “Best laid plans…” Etc. No excuses. Let’s get back to it!  Lot’s to talk about.

So, how’vyabeen? Were you happy withthe local results of the primary election? I’m very pleased that both the fire and EMS levies passed and I’m pleased about Connie Bacon’s strong showing in the Port Commissioner’s race and I think the U.P. City Council primaryrace came out pretty much as predicted. What was it, about 300 votes separating Bird and Figueroa? You can bet their supporters will be out beatin’ the bushes between now and November. I know I will. Don’t know who I support and why…scan back a couple of blogs and you’ll get more than an earful.
Another interesing aspect of this particular race is that it is, in fact a Non-Partison position yet Figueroa has made a point of pursuing the local Republican party faithful in terms of endorsements. He’s well entrenched in our local, lackluster party while Bird, a Republican, is well entrenched in most every issue, event and activity in the City of University Place and she has been since well before we became a city, 14 years ago. What’s this election for, the Pierce County Republican Party or the City of University Place?
Look at your ballot. It reads NON-PARTISAN. Get it?

(Note for the record:  No. I’m not a Democrat)

“As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash, a rescuer spots the bloodied pilot and ask, ‘What happened?’ ‘I don’t know,’ says the pilot, “I just got her, myself.’”

Gotta dog? UP’s 3rd Annual PUPS IN THE PARK is scheduled for Saturday, Aug 29th from 10am – 2pm. It’s a great and growing event and you can get all of the details at the city website www.cityofup.com or by calling UP Parks and Rec at 460-2530.

Did you see where just recently GOLF Magazine named CHAMBERS BAY as on of the “50 Greatest Golf Courses in the last 50 Years”?
You know, sometimes you’re just too close to something to realize how damned good it really is!
Mt. Rainier. Thousands of international tourists and world-class climbers flock there every year and marvel at the majesty. We see it off in the distance and have a tendency to take it for granted.
Other local targets? Mt. St. Helens is a wonderfully unique treasure and how about those two massive bridges out there, side by side. The inland waterways of the Puget Sound. Ask a visitor from Germany, China, Syria or South Africa if the Puget Sound is impressive. They’ll gush!
Olympic National Park, again, just an outline in the distance, the other way but hikers, sightseers and backpackers from around the world pay big bucks to get here every year and you can’t keep them away from the Ho Rain Forest, Kalaloch and Hurricane Ridge.
Seattle’s Experience Music Project, Tacoma’s Museum of Glass and what about the Space Needle? Now, add Chamber Bay golf course. No, kidding, one of the best…of the best, right here in University Place. They already come from around the world to play it and get swept away by the scenery as they do and it’s right in your backyard. And, oh, by the way, what a great place to stretch your legs. Wanna find your neighbors? I find them down at Central Meadows Park, on the walking trails around the course or swinging a club on the back nine. Everybody knows about the two HUGE tournaments they’ve already earned and scheduled. So, I won’t belabor that point but man, oh, man…Chambers Bay…what a place!

Say, speaking of the fire and EMS levies passing in the recent election, did you hear that the UP Fire Department just got a significant upgrade in the rating issued by the state? They had been rated a Class 4 operation for well over the past decade until a recent reevaluation of their training, facilities, prevention and education…even their fire trucks and hydrants. They are now rated Class 3 and are tied with only one other fire district in all of Pierce County at that highest rating achieved by any local department. That rocks! Those gals and guys take outstanding care of all of us, if only in their preparations to do so and after all, that’s what counts…they’re capable and ready! By the way, that move up to Class 3 is no small deal. ( No wonder they won the recent Hogs and Hosers softball game! )

REAL ESTATE SALE OF THE DAY: In an effort to help you keep tabs on this continually changing real estate market in University Place here’s another recently sold U.P. home with details from public information. SOLD: 3120 Glendale Drive West.  Just a cute little post war (1945) 3 bedroom, 1.75 bath home built at a time when the GI’s of WWII were coming home with the GI Bill and VA benefits and America needed homes for all of the marriages that were happening from coast-to-coast.  Tacoma, University Place…most every city has a neighborhood or neighborhoods that are loaded with those home and for those that have been maintained or even improved over the years, Yes, there certainly IS a market out there for them.  Take this one for example. They asked $239K and they got $239K and they got it in 3 days!  Why?  Because it’s an affordable home in a great school district and a growing city where the quality of life is enviable. 

This end of the marketplace and by that I mean this price range, is moving. In the business, we call them starter homes and there is plenty of good mortgage money available for them.  No, I’m not talking adjustable rate mortgages and the sub-prime garbage that launched our current crisis. I’m talking about all of the 30-year fixed rate mortgages being offered right now for approximately 5%.  That’s great money!  No kidding. 

You want one even better?  A friend of mine and a good, ethical gentleman, Mr. Mark Meath at Citybank, has VA home loans for LESS THAN 4.5% right now…No, I am NOT kidding!  Think of what your monthly payments would look like if your mortgage loan was less than 4.5%.  Our inventory is still very, very high but that just means CHOICES for home buyers.  We’ve been plagued by buyers sitting on their hands for over a year now, fearful of what the economy is going to do.  I will PROMISE you this.  When the economy turns, which, historically it ALWAYS has, millions of buyers, realizing that just as the upswing in the economy hits, so, too will the upswing in home prices hit…Yep, they’ll all look in the mirror and ask themselves, “Why didn’t I buy when prices and interest rates were so low?”  And unfortunately, many will follow that with, “Now, I can’t afford to!”

We are reading headlines, seeing statistical reports and hearing that the upswing is beginning, the market is starting to move. Is it?  I’m not 100% sure but I can only “touch” may part of it and know what’s there for sure and this weekend I have three different negotiations in progress.  Three offers on three homes we are currently negotiating on.  One in Gig Harbor (It’s REALLY been slow over there lately.), one in Tacoma’s North End and, of course,  one right here in University Place.  I haven’t seen action like that in ages!  Judge for yourself.  Is now the time to buy or sell?  Low interest rates, choices, more offers coming in from more recently active buyers…hmmmm?  Well, if you have any questions, you know who to call.

One of my favorite tee-shirts of all time was popular back when I was wearing an Air Force uniform. My buddy, the crazy Irishman MSgt. Michael Patrick O’Brien, Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) technician (as Michael used to say “That’s a bomb guy…you know, defuse ‘em not make ‘em”), proudly wore his shirt…OFF duty. On the back, it simply said, “I’m an EOD Tech. If you see me running, try like hell to keep up!”

For those of us who love to pound the trails of western Washington with a backpack on our backs, that EOD admonition is similar to the one Olympic mountain backpackers share about the black bears. “If a bear attacks, you don’t have to be the fastest in your group. You just can’t be the slowest!”

PAT MADDOCK   Coldwell Banker Bain REALTORS      3560 Bridgeport Way West,  University Place, WA 98466                (253)682-1182

 patmaddock@cbbain.com

Who is this guy?

As a top producer with Coldwell Banker Bain REALTORS in University Place, Pat Maddock is the former President of the Tacoma-Pierce County Association of REALTORS and a current Vice-President of the Washington REALTORS, the statewide trade association of professional members of the National Association of REALTORS (NAR). He also serves the University Place – Fircrest Division of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce on it’s Board of Directors and he serves the City of University Place on the Economic Development Commission. But most importantly, he’s been a University Place native since 1953. Pat is also a 20-year Air Force veteran.

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It really looks like an interesting week ahead. Not because interesting things are scheduled to occur but because they are not AND because there’s a feeling out there that somehow, someway, we’ve let summer slip through our fingers. So, as the rains creep back into our lives (Lord, knows we need ‘em) we feel the chance to get out and recreate in the beautiful NW summertime, well, we feel it slipping through out fingers. Desperation sets in. Back to school sales are well underway. Kids are talking about “new outfits” and who is going to be in their class and… you know they do have the benefit of a summer which, due to their young years, seems to be at least twice as long as ours.

I, as an official old fart, (My grandsons insist I went to grade school “when dinosaurs roamed the earth”) have the desperate feeling that I’ve missed it and as busy as I am in my business, I feel like I AM going to lose out on summer before I really get the chance to get out there and enjoy it. Can I prove it? Yes. There was an NFL game on TV last night! Holy Crap!!! 

So, today I’m not going to spend a lot of time writing the blog. Yes, it can take a long time. But instead, I’ll let pictures tell the story, as they say. Whomever “they’ are. You know, come to think of it, “They” might actually be Eastman Kodak!

Before I get into the diatribe of the day, I need to remind you that YOUR PRIMARY ELECTION BALLOTS NEED TO BE RETURNED SOON!!!  They must be recieved by August 18th but why put it off?  There’s probably nothing you can do this year that’s more important to the future of our city than to VOTE in the City Council Elections and of course for the fire department and EMS propositions – VOTE YES!  Here’s the thing. I really don’t want my wife to call 911 and have the fire department’s EMS team respond but fail to resucitate me because the battery in their life saving equipment crapped out for lack of funds!  I’m willing to bet you don’t either….VOTE YES!  And while were doing common sense things that actually are very important to us and our neighbors, remember to make your mark next to that very familiar and trusted name of LINDA BIRD for Position 1 on the City Council.  I could go into the six thousand or so reasons why but I already did that in last Monday’s blog. You can read it now, if you already haven’t.  Oh man, if you haven’t, you might be the only one in U.P.  I can’t believe all of the hits that blog got!  Wow!  I love it that U.P. residents take this city council race that seriously. God Bless you all!  It really does make a difference!
Well, I, like you have  heard so many rumors about the future of Bridgeport, I thought I ought to pick out a few of my favorite “rumors-in-error”  and set the record straight.
NO. They are NOT taking it down to one lane north and one lane south, not, not, not, not! If some knucklehead tells you that, ask them what else they want to be wrong about.
Yes. They ARE installing “back-in” angle parking on the east side of Bridgeport in front of  Town Center.                                  No, Town Center has not been renamed Market Square. That’s the central gathering spot WITHIN Town Center, which is just about 100% complete.
And as they install the back-in parking, they are also preserving the bicycle lane on the north side of Bridgeport.  I know those of you who only get around behind the wheel of your car probably don’t care but THOUSANDS of U.P. residents also ride bikes and if we can make it a bit safer for the kids, I’m all for it. By the way, if you ever see me riding a bike, run, run away!  (The EMS squad does!)

Hey, did you know the city is offering “Hard Hat” Tours of Town Center so you can see for yourself with a tour guide, exactly what the status is of the project. Go get it from the horse’s mouth! Check the city website on the far right side of this page.
And now on to the photo of the day.  First let me caution you that from time to time I do things rather tongue-in-cheek.  For example, if you are a regular reader of this blog, I really don’t hate Police Chief Jim Andrews. I actually think he’s a heck of a nice guy. And I do recognize his softball skills…well, let’s not get carried away, here.   The whole flogging of the chief after his strike out in the Hogs loss to the Hosers, at UPfest…that was just in fun. So, when it seems I may be going over the brink, ask yourself, “Is this another one of Pat’s feeble attempts at humor?” You just might be pleasantly surprised. Or as my good freind and Curtis grad Dan Engle likes to say, “Lighten Up!”.
Speaking of such… the other day I observed two guys operating heavy machinery in front of our building, the Coldwell Banker Building across from Town Center. As these two guys ran their big boy toys, another guy stood on the sidewalk and he was clearly the supervisor because from time to time he would walk up to the equipment operators, wildly wave his arms around, pointing and yelling instructions.  That all seemed fine and normal but then I noticed two guys standing off to the side of the road with their arms crossed. No tools, no purpose, just standing there…watching.  I figured they were either typical federal inspectors or employees waiting around for the “big boys” to be done.   Then there were yet two more on the other side of the equipment standing in exactly the same crossed-arm manner…they looked like clones of each other but they, too, were just standing there watching. Then I noticed a group of three more doing likewise and how did I know all of these guys were on-the-job? They were all wearing hard hats and orange vests and I don’t think the Girl Scouts have changed their uniforms to that…yet.  Oops, there was another guy watching and another solo, likewise, just watching. So, let’s count ‘em. Two guys working. One guy supervising and about ten people watching! I couldn’t stand it any more. I went into my office and got about my business but before long I needed to pack up and depart for an appointment elsewhere in town and as I was exiting the door and heading for my ride, there they all were PLUS ONE MORE!
I’m sure they were somehow working diligently to complete the pavement ramps up to the concrete crosswalks from the Town Center to the west, across Bridgeport. I’m sure they were.  But frankly, the other day’s gaggle was not all that rare. It was so profound that I just had to grab my camera and get a picture of it to share with you.  Unfortunately, there just wasn’t a good angle to capture it all. Then I thought, “Aha” (That’s what I say when I have a rare, original thought.)  And I responded to the good idea by getting up on the roof of the Coldwell Banker building to shoot down but when I did, I saw it all in a new light and I realized what all of those “workers” were focused on, what they were all so captivated by and I shot it.   So, the next time you wonder what is holding up the completion of Town Center, you’ll remember this photo and have a real understanding of what it takes to get the job done.

You know, sometimes we DO take ourselves a bit too seriously, now don’t we?  I occasionally have to remind myself to lighten up and live longer…and happier!

My best to you all.  Catch you on Friday.  Be well…

PAT MADDOCK   Coldwell Banker Bain REALTORS      3560 Bridgeport Way West,  University Place, WA 98466                (253)682-1182

 patmaddock@cbbain.com

Who is this guy?

As a top producer with Coldwell Banker Bain REALTORS in University Place, Pat Maddock is the former President of the Tacoma-Pierce County Association of REALTORS and a current Vice-President of the Washington REALTORS, the statewide trade association of professional members of the National Association of REALTORS (NAR). He also serves the University Place – Fircrest Division of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce on it’s Board of Directors and he serves the City of University Place on the Economic Development Commission. But most importantly, he’s been a University Place native since 1953. Pat is also a 20-year Air Force veteran.

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And so the Indianola Democratic Executive Committee is now established. There are two city volunteers and it is expected another four will be needed to oversee the November primary. Since there are five wards and one elected mayor, it is ideal to have six committee members. Their job is to qualify each Democratic candidate for mayor. It has been made very clear that no member of the committee can support any candidate during the primary. However, once the Democratic candidate has been voted by the people, committee members can rally for the victor during the general election in December.

I await with huge anticipation to learn further about my opposition. The current mayor is running again. I was also informed a former alderman may run. There is heavy competition in just the Democratic race alone. I am researching the Republican and any Independent candidates that are running as well. However, I am more than confident in my efforts.

If you are interested in promoting change in Indianola, Mississippi and would like to support my campaign, please call 662-298-4596.

i guess i was supposed to vote today, but i forgot.

As of 9:28 pm here are the unofficial primary election results for the Democratic and Republican candidates for Governor in Monmouth County. According to the County Clerk votes are still on their way in, but as for now:

By ANDY BARR- Politico

With New Jersey Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine lagging in the polls, Republicans couldn’t be more enthusiastic about their chances of ousting him in November.

But first they must settle an intraparty conflict over who’s best suited to do the job — former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie or former Bogota, N.J., Mayor Steve Lonegan. Assemblyman Rick Merkt is also contending for the nomination in Tuesday’s GOP gubernatorial primary, though he trails by wide margins in the polls.

The contest pits two wings of the Republican Party against each other, with Christie widely viewed as the moderate conservative with more general election appeal in a Democratic state like New Jersey and Lonegan framed as the more orthodox conservative.

Corzine trailed both GOP candidates, according to a Research 2000/Daily Kos poll released Thursday, with Christie leading the incumbent Democrat 46 percent to 39 percent, with 15 percent undecided. Lonegan held a 3 percentage-point lead over the governor, 43 percent to 40 percent, with 17 percent undecided.

According to the poll, Corzine’s favorability rating is just 36 percent, compared with 55 percent who view him unfavorably. Nine percent had no opinion.

In the GOP gubernatorial contest, most polls show Christie leading Lonegan by around 20 percentage points. A May 20 Quinnipiac University poll gave Christie a 56-to-33-point lead.

“It’s pretty obvious that it is going to be Christie vs. Corzine,” said Quinnipiac pollster Clay Richards. “There was a little doubt for a while that Christie just didn’t seem to be catching fire, but in the last few weeks, he definitely has and Lonegan has not.”

Christie has been aided in his run by the support of several prominent national Republicans and is seen as having the support of the national party establishment. Former GOP presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani and Steve Forbes have spent significant time on the stump with Christie and aided the former federal prosecutor in fundraising.

In his endorsement, Romney praised Christie as “a strong conservative voice for balanced budgets, low taxes and more jobs.”

Lonegan has sought to turn Christie’s establishment support against him by questioning Christie’s willingness to let moderate Republicans from outside the state speak on his behalf.

When asked about the endorsements Christie has gotten from popular Republican figures, Lonegan strategist Rick Shaftan quickly interjected, “You mean all these moderate Republicans helping Chris Christie?”

Read More

For my inaugural post, I’m going to jump right in and start complaining about politics.  Specifically, this week’s election.  More specifically, candidate behavior.

First off, let me explain that my involvement with Pittsburgh Politics is one of spectation, not participation.  I vote, but being registered as anything other than Democrat means that I sit on the sidelines during the primaries, fascinated by the gladiator-like combat of the candidates, only to then watch my team’s candiate get dragged screaming into the center of the arena to be handily served up like an after-dinner mint.  The next 6 months are like that scene from Jurassic Park with the goat.  The little girl worriedly asks “What’s going to happen to the goat?”, but she knows.  And you know.  And really, so does the goat.

What was my point?  Oh yeah, politics.  Here’s my rundown.

City Council – District 4:
I’m no fan of … well… whatever you want to call the inter-party machinations – The Powers That Be, the Old Boys Network, the Smoke Filled Room, what have you – mostly because party endorsements are based on a measure of loyalty as opposed to qualifications.  So I was happy to see two factions of the same machine turn on one other and let Natalia Rudiak take the race.  My money cynically was on the committee endorsement pulling Reilly ahead despite an anemic campaign, and it is $10 I am happy to lose.

Speaking of Reilly, he handily wins the title of Least Regard for Integrity for a mailer implying not one but two endorsements he did not have.  First he includes Luke’s photo next to his, despite Luke supporting his opponent Anthony Coghill.  Not satisfied with the gray moral territory, he includes a quote from the Post-Gazette’s endorsement of his other opponent.   Honestly I’m a little impressed by the balls that took.  Still, Reilly just landed himself a slot on my “classy” list.

City Council – District 2:
Speaking of “inexcusable”, here are two candidates who both unapologetically played the “anything to win” card.  On the one hand you have Theresa Smith who pulled the same PG endorsement crap as Reilly.  The PG endorsed her opponent Georgia Blotzer, who decided to one-up Smith by circulating slate cards that looked nearly identical to the actual cards the committee hands out, only with her name on them instead.  When questioned by one TV station, her response was that the county committee did not have a monopoly on the color scheme.  Very classy, ladies.

City Council – District 6:
Daniel Lavelle takes down Tonya Payne thus granting District 6 their wish for present and alert representation.  Daniel was also attacked in flier form, this time anonymously.  Among the false claims made was that he was under investigation by the Attorney General apparently confusing him with Patrick Lavelle, indicted last year for Bonusgate.  Tonya – I mean, “Anonymous” – apparently didn’t think her voters would do their homework.

Mayor:
Tuesday was a momentous day for the City of Pittsburgh, as nearly one out of five registered voters decided they should probably go vote, and nearly three out of five of those pulled the lever to give Mayor Luke an “overwhelming victory” (his words). 

I just want to say this again.  Pittsburgh’s next four years are under the leadership of Luke Ravenstahl thanks to the preference of 12% of registered voters, or to put it another way, just over 8% of the city’s population. 

Think about that one the next time you hit a pothole.

Granted, neither Dowd or Robinson ran a particularly inspiring campaign, nor did they have the funding to do so.  Still, employing at least one graphic designer would be nice.  ADB covered Carmen’s love(!!!) of exclamation points(!!!), but what I found out-of-place was Dowd’s campaign poster.   Now, you see a lot of posters of politicians looking hopeful – gently smiling, looking slightly upwards towards the horizon (and the future!) – but Dowd’s gaze is nowhere near the horizon.  He’s staring a good 2 stories up, tightly smiling and brow furrowed.  It looks as though he did his own roofing on his house (sorry Coghill) and is now looking at it thinking “You know, that doesn’t look half bad.  I did a pretty good job.  I could have been a roofer.”

Worse is his website photo, where he seems to be talking to a neighbor about their DIY roofing job saying nice things, but thinking “This roof SUCKS compared to MY roof.  Look at that crappy ridgeline!”

So Luke now goes on to face at least two delicious snacks… er… opponents, but really we all know he’s got this locked up for the next four years.  And Luke knows this, which is why it was odd that his first official act was to publicly disrespect Dowd first by not taking his phone call to concede the race, then not congratulating him on a race well run in his victory speech, then explaining that move 5 minutes later to Channel 11 as “my mom said if you don’t have anything nice to say…”, and then immediately saying not nice things and then demanding that Dowd apologize because he knows why.   The man just oozes class.

Other – Judicial Races:
On a final note – One candidate was stuck in my head more than any last week, because she EAAAARRRRRRRRRNNNNED her way in there.  Seriously, Barbara Ernsberger’s commercials may have been the most annoying thing on radio, mixing equal parts repetative nameplay, unsubstantiated claims of protective behavior, and the implication of great and unique significance in what are very typical occurances.  We were told that she EAAARRRNNNED a law degree from Duquesne, leading us to think that the other 299 students in her class must have phoned it in.  Then she becomes a trial lawyer and oddly this is where the law qualifications stop and she begins looking out for labor, veterans and kittens.  Possibly as a masked vigilante, I don’t know, she didn’t say.  In the end, the Allegheny County Bar Association (made up of lawyers from her backyard) gave her a rating of “Unqualified”.  How did she do? 

She led the ticket.  Way to phone it in voters.

By Bill Pascoe , CQ politics

With five weeks left until Primary Election Day, the Republican gubernatorial primary in New Jersey just kicked into high gear.

But are the rival campaigns — and GOP primary voters — overlooking the most salient data?

Is Jon Corzine — who just registered the highest-ever job disapproval ratings on record for a New Jersey Governor — nevertheless on a glide path to reelection?

Political New Jersey has been aflutter since last Wednesday, when the release of two new surveys — one by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, and one by Strategic Vision — focused attention on the threat posed to establishment Republican frontrunner Chris Christie by conservative challenger Steve Lonegan.

Quinnipiac has a long history of polling in New Jersey.

Quinnipiac, as it always has, told us how the poll was conducted, including telling us the size of the subsample of likely GOP voters.

Strategic Vision, by contrast, didn’t tell us what was the size of the subsample of GOP voters, or tell us whether the survey respondents were screened for a likelihood to vote.

Consequently, most campaign veterans — at least those who aren’t already on the Christie campaign payroll — focused on the Quinnipiac numbers.

That Quinnipiac survey indicated that the GOP gubernatorial primary was a lot tighter than most people had believed it to be.

According to that survey, Christie’s lead over Lonegan was a mere 9 points, at 46-37 percent, among the subsample of 486 likely GOP primary voters.

Read more >>> Here

As the Sheboygan-based blog SheVegas notes, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker will run against incumbent Gov. Jim Doyle for governor in 2010. This will come with as a great shock to approximately no one, as Walker is as subtle as a wet sock hitting you in the face. What may have come as a surprise to some is the possible presence of former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann in the race. The possible entry of Neumann into the race was telegraphed by Jim Klauser, whom Uppity Wisconsin describes as “a very smart GOP operative,” wrote an open letter to WisPolitics.com that advocated for Mark Neumann to join the race.

Now, as I was out of the state when Neumann ran against Sen. Feingold, I don’t know much about him. I know a thing or two about Walker, having watched the continued decline of Milwaukee County under his reign as county exec. But, how do these two stack up compared to one another?

Did Neumann graduate from college?

Is Walker a devoted Christian?

Do they both have plans to freeze taxes, and if so, how do they compare?

If the Republican primary was tomorrow, who which one should I vote for?

It’s time to start thinking about and talking about it.

April 24: Feeling left out after seeing Neumann getting all the attention, Walker: Tosa Error has confirmed he’ll run in 2010.

April 26: James Rowen has delivered his thoughtful commentary on this matter.

Reading a story on my company’s Web site about a primary election last week, something piqued my curiosity. Does the Independent Voters of Berwyn group have a self-contradictory name?

Now hear me out: What does the term “independent” imply? To me, it suggests someone who thinks for him- or herself and makes decisions based on this self-guided judgment. Yes, it’s possible that a bunch of people have very similar thoughts on matters of social governance and public policy.

But once you take these people and form a political party, doesn’t the “independent judgment” aspect of their personalities start to wear off? Don’t you join a political party to advance the goals of that group? And aren’t such goals developed by reaching a consensus of the majority of the party’s members?

Do you see how this starts to move away from the concept of truly independent voters? I can’t imagine that every single member and supporter of this party thinks exactly the same way as every other member and supporter of the party on every issue. Some compromising has to go on to advance the party’s goals. This is natural for a political party but not in keeping with independent voters.

Hey, the Independent Voters of Berwyn group can adopt any name it wants. I’m just saying that it strikes me as kind of funny.

But what do I know? Let me get your thoughts on what would be a good alternate name for this political party. Make them good, and have fun.

There is a finite number of people who can say “I was on the same ballot as Barack Obama.” It still humbles and amazes me that I was among them. While my bid for the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors drew to a close that night, I’m happy with how that race turned out. And the presidential election, too.

One thing on one day, one thing on another.

Tomorrow, Feb. 17, we democracy geeks cast votes in the primary for judges and state superintendent. Sometimes, though, even the democracy geeks in the crowd lose sight of elections. So here’s a very short list of who to vote for:

State Superintendent: Tony Evers.

Jay Bullock is a teacher and his life will be directly effected by our choice in this vote. Jay says that Tony Evers is his choice for this job. Let’s hope Jay’s endorsement doesn’t doom Mr. Evers’ candidacy, and get out there and vote for him.

Milwaukee County circuit court: I’m supporting J.D. Watts. Mr. Watts is a very calm, collected individual, the sort of person you want as a judge. And he’s been to Drinking Liberally not once, but twice. And I believe he also drove home stone sober each time, which is enough to get him my endorsement. I mean, heck, if you come to D.L. not once but twice, that’s enough to earn him my support. (It even works for very select Republicans!) So vote for J.D. Watts; he’ll do a very good job as circuit court judge.

I’m looking at you, my 7.85 readers!

When all is said and done, we may get one of the remaining judicial candidates at Drinking Liberally this Wednesday. And if you haven’t already, please vote in our online poll to help decide where in Sugar Maple we should have our little contingent meet.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/2009-02-01/feature.php

This is a remarkable story about the history of Texas politics and the upcoming election.  Will governor Perry run again?  Governor Perry is the longest serving governor in the state’s history?  If he runs and wins this time, he would have served 14 years.

In light of today’s holiday, I want to take a departure from my typical tone of criticism and questioning to reflect on how far we’ve come as a people.

If you look back at this election season, there were many firsts and extremes all over the ballots, both Primary (or at your state’s Caucus/Convention) and General. Regardless of how primaries and the general election ended up, we would have broken new ground as a country.
We did, in the end, elect our first Black president with President-elect Obama – he’s also the first Hawaiian in the White House.
We could have easily also elected our first woman to the presidency.
If he made it past the primaries, Bill Richardson would have been our first Hispanic president.
On “my” side, John McCain would have been the oldest American elected to the presidency.
Mitt Romney would have been the first mormon to hold the office.
And, if McCain had won, we would have had our first female vice-president,  and Palin would have also been our first Alaskan in the White House.

So, as I said, it seems no matter which way the cards would have sorted themselves out, we would have broken new ground and eliminated at least one “glass ceiling.” Would it be too naïve to think we’ve broken through ALL those glass ceilings with one successful candidate? Or is that just too liberal?

I suppose, in the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that the democrat whose message I tolerated best (Chris Dodd) and my republican horse in the race (Mike Huckabee) were both not so successful – and also both very much fitting into the general mold of previous presidential candidates.

So – Merry Christmas to all – and comments welcome from all!