Olympics, Pa. style

The Olympic Games bring out the best in the world—well, for the most part. That got me thinking.

Hosting an Olympics in Pennsylvania is plausible. Philadelphia’s best chance seemed to be 2024, but that is assuming the USOC doesn’t bid in 2022 with Anchorage, Denver, or Reno-Lake Tahoe. I’m sorry Pittsburgh, but it’s a lot less likely than you think. Philadelphia has so many key advantages for a Summer Olympiad.

Philadelphia has six Division I…

EXCLUSIVE: Hafer running to succeed Murtha

Former state treasurer and auditor general Barbara Hafer said Monday that she will seek the House seat long held by the late Congressman John Murtha, making her the first Democrat to declare her candidacy in the wake of Murtha’s death last week.

In an exclusive interview with pa2010.com, Hafer said that “I will never be able to fill Murtha’s shoes, but I would be honored to follow him.”

“Of course everyone is shocked and saddened…

Catching up with Steven Welch’s new address

I’m ashamed to admit that I appear be pretty much the last reporter in the state to realize that… drumroll… Steven Welch has moved!

Recent articles in both pYou may remember the early brouhaha over Welch’s decision to a href="http://www.pa2010.com/2009/09/switching-races-for-meehan-welch-to-run-in-6th-district/?utm_source=PA2010.com+First+Read+Opt-In+List&utm_campaign=7b664accac-The+First+Read+9%2F14&utm_medium=email" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pa2010.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pa2010.com%2F2009%2F09%2Fswitching-races-for-meehan-welch-to-run-in-6th-district%2F%3Futm_source%3DPA2010.com%2BFirst%2BRead%2BOpt-In%2BList%26amp%3Butm_campaign%3D7b664accac-The%2BFirst%2BRead%2B9%252F14%26amp%3Butm_medium%3Demail','seek+the+GOP+nomination+in+the+6th+Congressional+District%2C+despite+living+across+the+river+in+the+7th')" target="_blank">seek the GOP nomination in the 6th Congressional District, despite living across the river in the 7th. At the time,

Trevorrow drops out of 3rd Disrict race

Almost as suddenly as he came on the scene, Republican Tom Trevorrow withdrew from the race in the 3rd Congressional District Monday, citing a family illness.

His exit comes after he

Suburban Snapshot chats with Dick Morris

Neither snow, nor rain, nor dark of night—or two back-to-back blizzards—could stop Republicans from gathering for the annual winter state committee meeting in Harrisburg last weekend.

The weekend started Friday with with GOP movers and shakers, state committee members and others milling around the hallways, talking about Harrisburg, Washington, and discussing interesting local news. Candidates, elected officials, local party chairs and rising stars were elbow-to-elbow talking with old friends, chatting up the media and soaking up the…

THE PRESS ROOM: Local blogs spring up to slam candidates

An occasional series of articles exploring how political campaigns are playing out in the media—in print, on the air, online and behind the scenes.

Think pa2010.com is catering to a narrow niche? Think again.

A plethora of new Web sites are sprouting up in the blogosphere, mostly as vehicles to bash candidates loathed by their authors, but sometimes just to cover a particular race from a certain ideological view. Whether these blogs will play any…

Looking back at Specter’s party-switch, by the numbers

The conventional wisdom about Arlen Specter’s party-switch last year has been, frankly, all over the map. First, pBut almost 10 months after he shocked us all by switching sides, I’ve decided that the picture is far more…

As Tea Party candidates multiply, GOP looks to be the umbrella

PHILADELPHIA—As the conservative Tea Party movement has evolved into a political force across the country, its early reputation, deserved or not, has been one of making it harder for Republicans to win elections. But as Tea Party candidates proliferate in congressional races across Pennsylvania, the state Republican Party is making a concerted effort to ensure that the diffuse movement will be a political boon instead of a headache.

In more than half-a-dozen House races, there…

The greatest theft in human history

Conventional wisdom holds that the bank bailouts were deplorable, but necessary. In reality, the bank bailouts were both deplorable and unnecessary. Saving the banks did not save the world. Saving the banks deepened and prolonged the recession, and saving the banks threatens to impoverish this nation. Let me explain.

According to Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11) and other bank-bailout apologists, the bailouts prevented a catastrophic run on the American financial system. Just think about that claim…

It’s crunch time for Beiler and Watkins

Chet Beiler and Joe Watkins have to make a decision, and they don’t have much time.

Beiler, the former Lancaster County GOP chairman, and Watkins, the longtime political operative, both failed to win the state party’s endorsement for Lieutenant Governor last weekend in Harrisburg. Two other candidates who weren’t endorsed—York businessman Steve Johnson and reform leader Russ Diamond—both said they’d stay in the race anyway. Two others, Jean Craige Pepper and Nick DiFrancesco, stepped aside…