2 Most Powerful GOP Officials in PA defeated for re-election

The primary election yesterday in Pennsylvania may present an indication of things to come in other states. The 2 most powerful Republican elected officials in PA. were decisively defeated for re-election. They were the Senate Majority Leader and the Senate President Pro Tempore. Also, at least 10 other long-time Republican legislators were defeated, as well as at least 4 Democratic incumbents.

The press is blaming the defeats on their support for a pay raise for legislators that violated the State Constitution. However, many Democrats who supported the same pay raise were re-nominated.

This race shows widespread disatisfaction among the Republican rank and file with their party's leadership.

The Democrats also picked up a seat in the State Senate in a special election.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a1_5boot.5284002may17,0,2619056.story?coll=all-news-hed

"Fueled by anger over last year's legislative pay raises, Pennsylvania voters lashed out Tuesday at its leading architects, handing unprecedented defeats to two of the General Assembly's mightiest leaders.

For the first time since 1964, voters delivered stinging rebukes to top bosses: Senate Majority Leader David J. Brightbill, R-Lebanon, and Senate President Pro Tempore Robert C. Jubelirer, R-Blair. They were two of the driving forces behind the hated 16 percent to 34 percent windfalls that lawmakers later were forced to repeal."

They should have stopped voting for the whores in congress three years ago... then we might not be in such a bad state wrt Iraq, the economy, the environment, etc.

just seen the light. Better to praise them for waking up, and welcome their help in getting our country back. They are especially needed on the matter of restoring transparent elections. While this evidence of "throwing the bums out" is heartening, we have a long way to go before we can feel sure that our democracy is functioning again, and, with Bushite corporations 'counting' all the votes with 'TRADE SECRET,' PROPRIETARY programming code and virtually no audit/recount controls, we can never be sure of anything, including who is or isn't legitimately representing us.

I should stop allowing my personal experiences with several of these voters I know who don't care about their country color my perception of all republican voters.

:hi:

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Unfortunately, PA's legislative districts were severely gerrymandered by the Republicans. The 4 main Republicans who were defeated in the primary all came from solidly Republican districts. Their replacements may be more conservative than the incumbents.

Another major issue in PA was the inability of the Republican controlled House and Senate to develop a workable program to reduce school property taxes, particulary for low income seniors.

Here's some other good news in PA races for the US House of Representatives.

Republican Freshman Congressman Charlie Dent was supposed to run unchallenged. However, a last minute effort apparently resulted in a Dem challenger getting on the ballot. Reportedly, over 1,000 Democrats wrote in the name of Charles Dertinger to run against Dent.

In the House district that covers the northern suburbs of Philadelphia, a true Democrat defeated a fake Democrat for the Democratic nomination. Patrick Murphy was an Army Captain and and an attorney in Iraq. He defeated Andy Warren, a guy who was a lifelong Republican until last year. Warren became a Democrat after the local party boss picked Fitzpatrick to run for the House seat in 2004. Otherwise, Warren would have run as a Republican for Congress. Warren had much higher name recognition from his 20 years in County politics, but Murphy overcame that.

Thanks for sharing.

Sorry to rain on your parade, but these two guys lost because they were major forces behind the late night payraise, subsequently rescinded after major public outrage. Other Repubs & Dems in the state House lost because of this payraise also. It was an anti-incumbent-of-both-parties thing. More incumbents would have lost except for the fact that they had 2 or 3 primary opponents. Clue to the clueless, if you want to take out an incumbent, you need to be his/her ONLY opponent. If someone else is already opposing them, don't waste your time and money. Some of these incumbents squeaked by with only 150 vote difference, against 2 opponents.

I was working the polls yesterday. We had a hotly contested Repub. primary for house going on also, so big R turnout. What the majority of voters were saying to both me and the Repub. "greeters" at the polls, as we handed them campaign lit. for various candidates, was, "Are they already in office?" When we could reply no, then the voters said, "Good, I'll vote for them."

My Dem staff friends in the state capitol, who are closely monitoring the Repub races around the Commonwealth, say that it looks like many of the moderate Repubs in the state House will be replaced by extreme conservatives in November's election. It's already so bad in the Repub. House caucus that a recent agreed to property tax relief package was sabotaged at the 11th hour by a group of renegade R. conservatives whom the R. leader could not control.

Jubelirer, who is a douchebag, for sure, will be replaced by John Eichelberger, who is even a bigger douchebag, if such a thing is possible. These are R districts, and the Repubs are positioning them for harder R candidates.

PA is kind of like a smaller version of the country ... More democratic on the east and west "costs" near the big cities, pretty "conservative" in the middle portions ...

As noted, the big name R losers came as a result of a revolt among republicans, some sort of bizarre infighting ... My repuke senator (who I don't hate, but nontheless) took the payraise and still hasn't given it back, and he clocked his opponent ... The payraises were an issue, but more so to movitate sections of the Rs into a revolt against other sections of the larger party ...

Gotta give Rendell some BIG props for not getting eaten alive by these clowns ...

Not that it matters one way or another. just that I wouldn't start handing out credit to Republicans for coming to their senses just yet. They just stayed home. They did not come and vote for right just didn't vote. That is my assumption anyway.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06124/687373-85.stm


"Why should we give Rendell an issue to use against Lynn Swann?"asked state Rep. Gibson Armstrong, R-Lancaster, who also said he didn't think the bill did enough for meaningful tax relief.

Enjoy Retirement Armstrong