Specter steps up his support of Sotomayor

As he looks to shore up Democratic support ahead of next year’s primary, Senator Arlen Specter on Wednesday offered his strongest words of support yet for Preident Obama’s Supreme Court nominee.

In a floor speech announcing his formal support, Specter praised Sonia Sotomayor “extraordinary” judicial record, The National Journal

Governor Rendell’s Statement on Budget

By THE OFFICE OF GOV. ED RENDELL

HARRISBURG – Governor Edward G. Rendell today issued the following statement regarding the state budget:

For almost a year our country and our commonwealth have struggled to deal with the pain caused by the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. The greed and need for instant gratification of those who brought our financial system to its knees has hurt everyone.  Now, at kitchen tables across this state,…

Torsella looks out for his former staffers

Ain’t Joe Torsella a nice guy? Still busy heading up the state’s board of education and barely a month removed from his

GERLACH: House Leaders Let Another Billion-Dollar Bailout Get in the Way of Bipartisan Troop Funding Bill

By THE OFFICE OF CONGRESSMAN JIM GERLACH (R-6)

Washington – Congressman Jim Gerlach (PA-6th District) on May 14 joined with 367 Republican and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a Supplemental Appropriations bill that would have provided $81.3 billion to support our men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Because of differences between the House and Senate versions of the legislation, a conference committee made up of leaders from both chambers…

Rep. Dahlkemper Introduces “Young Invincibles” Healthcare Bill

By THE OFFICE OF CONGRESSWOMAN KATHY DAHLKEMPER (D-3)

WASHINGTON – As Congress prepares to overhaul our nation’s healthcare system, U.S. Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-3), Chairwoman of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Regulations and Healthcare, introduced her first piece of legislation, the Young Adult Healthcare Coverage Act of 2009 (H.R. 2831), to address an often overlooked segment of the uninsured: young adults.

This bipartisan, no-cost legislation will provide young adults aged 19-29 the option to…

Fixing the primary election process before May 18

State Representative Eugene DePasquale has introduced legislation that, if passed, would change the way that 2010 primary elections are conducted. The bill,

Pulling teeth in the 13th…

Still getting back into the swing of things after a death in my family and my recent Italy trip, so I haven’t had much time for interviews just yet.  But I was intrigued to see that Republican Damian Dachowski, a Huntingdon Valley dentist,

GOP hopes for Gerlach decision ‘sooner rather than later’

Republican leaders are apparently getting antsy with Congressman Jim Gerlach’s (R-6) extended flirtation with a run for higher office, and are hoping he’ll make his plans known soon.

Politico

The First Read — June 16, 2009

Every Monday-Thursday morning, pa2010.com compiles the most important political news of the day, from newspapers to the blogosphere and back. Enjoy this edition.

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Eyeing the mansion, Gerlach takes aim at Rendell’s tax-hike proposal
When Governor Ed Rendell proposed a three-year hike to the personal income tax Tuesday, it was not only going…

Tuesday evening political roundup

Good evening political junkies. Sorry things have been slow today. We at pa2010.com Central have been busy trying to get ahead for our brief mid-summer break (more on that soon).

Here are some important stories you might have missed. We sure did.

The big news is of course Gov. Ed Rendell’s call for an Full Story