So, the Dems chose the guy who has been working the tiny hamlets and small cities of this very convoluted District and is well known by all the players in the community for his labors over the last ten years. He is certainly a better choice than the other D candidates who hired all the big money consultants from out of town.
Unfortunately, choices on our side are big in out of town hired guns and tiny in stature in the district.

On the personal side…Critz is a great choice. He is unknown politically but not to the community leaders in the 12th. He is driven, ethical, and pragmatic. he will make a great Congressman.

On the political side…this district is all but a footnote. It will cease to exist in less than two years after redistricting. Who ever wins this seat will most likely have to face another incumbant in two years.

I think the Dems may hold the edge in the special election but the Reps in the Nov election…especially if the candidate is Rick Burns

And in other news, Josh Morrow drove his car into the Susquehanna River on his way back to Philly.

LOOK HERE HAFER:

“While we look forward to a spirited and exciting race, Democrats across the 12th District should know that Mark Critz will be a phenomenal candidate for this important campaign,” state party chairman T.J. Rooney said in a statement. “Now is the time for Democrats across the district to stand behind Mark in the same committed way that he has stood with them over the years. I congratulate him on this accomplishment and look forward to working with him to ensure a Democratic victory.”

THAT MEANS YOU!! If you’re a true democrat you’ll stand behind Mark Critz and create a unified front. For days you’ve criticized Critz saying he’s not vetted and the wrong choice for the party. Well the party has spoken and they chose Mark Critz.

WILL YOU STAND BEHIND YOUR PARTY?? Do the party a favor and drop out now. Go back to your home in Harrisburg (outside the 12th district) and let Mark Critz move forward as the next democratic Congressman in the 12th district. Stop dividing the party with your dirty politics and lies.

My best to the party and I hope this choice stands even a chance. Those that really know his background
knows much about his baggage ? Good going State Committee, hopefully you will be able to pull this off, but it looks pretty bad. Your choice !

Mark Critz-

Will be like a bug stuck on a bug whacker this spring.

Will be glad to see him defeated in the spring time. Go Hafer!

If the GOP nominates Bill Russell, who has name recognition, then they will be able to beat this no-name party hack. If they elect Tim Burns, it will be a close race but the Democrats could pull it out. It was foolish for the Democrats to nominate someone that has no name recognition at all with the voters. Hafer was the safe bet, but the party hacks couldn’t get over the fact that she was a former republican and critical of both parties in the past. Doesn’t really matter much in the big picture since the 12th is most likely gone after 2010 anyway.

Hafer will still beat Critz in May, this is more a memorium vote for Murtha, rather than a smart vote for political success.

To All My Fellow Democrats–

The race for the 12th Congressional District is one of great importance. It must have someone that is not tainted by the former ‘status quo’ of politics, someone that is not associated in any manner by any Department of Justice investigations, someone that is able to work with both sides, someone that is seasoned in fiscal responsibility and accountability and someone that cares and knows first hand about the struggles of health care and unemployment.

The people of the 12th district and this country really are fed up with the dynasty like mentality that politics has become.

Where is it written, that by virtue of ‘assisting’ someone that holds an elected office, that he or she is better qualified as a candidate? What actual independent thinking or track record can one gage?
There is none for the ‘assistant’.

However, there is for Barbara Hafer. She is the qualified choice, she is the smart choice, she is the electable choice and she is the RIGHT choice for Democrats for the 12th District; not Democrats of 30 years ago, but today, and now.

And if by chance another balloting could take place, let’s see what the outcome would be now.

Fight Barbara, Fight!

Critiz is DOA in this race. He doesn’t stand a chance unless the GOP puts up Russell.

Patricia well written post and agreed

I agree with the writer above. Barbara Hafer is the best choice. I absolutely will not vote for Critz. He’s been in Murtha’s office for almost 15 years and has really stayed away from the voters, until now of course. If it was Brad Clemenson, then maybe. But personally, I’m sick of all the connected politicians and wannabes who are disconnected from the voters.This teacher is going with Hafer.

OK Patricia. You mean..

…someone that opened their own consulting business the same time they were holding office as the State Treasurer.

…someone who’s web site for their consulting business claims one of their services to be “Legislative Changes” (sounds a lot like a lobbying firm).

Where is this company located you might ask? Why it is located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Now how could Barbara Hafer have such a successful company in Harrisburg and spend her time living in Indiana. She must make the 3 hour and 15 minute drive to and from work everyday. But hey.. Harrisburg is in the 12th district right?? Who cares? NOT!!! Hafer is nothing more than another carpetbagger. She is a mere opportunist trying to take advantage of the citizens in the 12th. She doesn’t even live in Indiana. She spends her time living in Harrisburg. Her daughter who is a “vice president” in Ms. Hafer’s company ran against Tim Murphy for Congress in 2008. It seems like the whole family goes where the action is.

She is selfish. She doesn’t care about the district or the democratic party. All she cares about is herself. Any respectable politician would bow out of this race. Mark Singel, a great leader and politician, knew what was best for the party and the 12th district. He dropped out and endorsed Mark Critz. Barbara Hafer has no business being in this election at this point.

I say that someone should be looking into Barbara Hafer and her ethics. What exactly does Hafer & Associates do? Are they a lobbying firm?

How can you run a business that does work creating “Legislative Change” and at the same time hold public office as the State Treasurer. The company was structured in 2004, but Hafer was still in office in 2005. Who’s looking into this??

Being part Irish, I would work non-stop to see anyone but Barbara Heifer in the U.S. Congress , even for the 2 years and seven months left for this seat in Pennsylvania .

To All My Fellow Democrats (and particularly Ted)-

First and foremost, I believe that people, especially voters, appreciate political opinions when they based on facts or, in the absence of actual facts, has enough information that a reasonable prudent person can logically determine, ‘what is more likely than not’.

That being said, I will address an issue with maybe a tad bit specificity…especially for Ted, as he posed several questions instead of statements.

Hafer & Associates perform and offer several services. Those being, according to their website: Revenue enhancement, Investments and Cash Management, Organizational efficiency, reengineering, Strategic initiatives, Legislative changes, Staff development, Training and development and Research.

Whew! That’s a heck of a lot more than your normal, run of the mill, strong-armed lobbying firms like KSA Consulting, where Congressman Murtha’s brother is a senior partner and several former staffers of Mr. Murtha ended up working AND that has been under the microscope for reeling in over $20 million for its defense contracting clients.

Are you thinking about ‘What is more likely than not?’

Ted also raised the issue of Barbara Hafer’s daughter. Let’s see…no issues of possible corruption or ethic violations there, just an honest run for a political seat. However, and I’ll pose this for you in a question, is Mr. Critz’s in-laws affiliated with any companies, past or present, that may have benefited with a ‘helping hand’ from Congressman Murtha’s office?

I have found that it is always good to know the answer to a question when you ask it of those who should know the answer as well.

With respect to Mr. Singel ‘bowing out’: wasn’t there a lot of political garbage surrounding him that would have resurfaced and you refer to him as a ‘great leader’? How quick we forget.

In addition, has anyone even looked into Mr. Critz’s background what dealings he’s had and if he’s ever been named in any lawsuits, etc.? You could be surprised. You could be very surprised!

Furthermore, to say that Barbara Hafer doesn’t have any business being in this election, is telling the voters that support her, that your vote won’t count and neither does your opinion. Now that is real Democracy isn’t it?

Lastly, we really need to come together on this one. We cannot afford to lose this election in November. We cannot afford to have a candidate that has been affiliated or associated with, employed by and who very well may have participated in any corrupt political or business dealings. If we do, we will lose the Congressional seat.

Barbara Hafer has the true grit, knowledge, experience and track record on working for the best interests of the taxpayers…she’s proven that.

So, I ask you: ‘What is more likely than not?’

PS…please forgive the length of this, but I feel that we have a duty to educate.

Ted-

Not every Democrat agrees with your definition of a “true Democrat”. Some of us believe that choosing candidiates at the ballot box is why they hold primary elections; and that small groups of party officials, in this case meeting on short notice, choosing our nominees for us is anti-democratic.

For those of us who so believe, being a true Democrat is not acting like a mindless sheep and blindly following the decisions of those few party officials; but to choose for ourselves who we will support. If you support Critz, that’s fine; but don’t demean those of us who have a different opinion as not being true Democrats. You’ll see who the true Dems are come primary election day.

Blow em up Barbara!

Best wishes to Mr Critz-I voted for Hafer.

The people of the 12th Congressional District
choose the Candidate in the Primary for the
next term. They can decide on their own
standard of Government.

If I lived there, I would vote for Hafer in the
Primary.

Complaining about lobbyists and people who live in Harrisburg and then espousing the virtues of Mark Singel? Hello?

Singel’s home is in Hummelstown (near Harrisburg). Look it up, its in the phone book.

Singel runs a lobbying firm that lobbies for health care companies and pharmaceutical companies. Look it up, its on his website.

We are listening to Mark Singel why? He’s a lobbyist who doesn’t live in the 12th!!!

Ok look. Regardless of who you were for, this was an undemocratic process that didn’t truly get input from Democratic voters in the district, nor local committee people in the district.

The candidates played by the rules given to them and Critz won.

However the process raised more questions than it answered. No matter who won, the legitimacy of the nomination would be in doubt.

Someone in the party needs to step up and come up with a truly fair and open process to make sure a fiasco like this doesn’t happen the next time the party is called on to nominate someone. It happened a couple of years ago in the Lavalle senate seat…that was an undemocratic fiasco too. Now its happened again.

The party needs leadership that recognizes that this has to be fixed so that we don’t keep repeating the same mistakes over and over. It deprives our candidates of legitimacy and puts them at a disadvantage.

Ok…so who is going to step up to the challenge?

I can understand voters frustration about the process, but here we go again tearing each other apart. I support barbara because I feel she is without question the most qualified and knowledgeable candidate in this race. She has an excellent track record and the fact she was a republican only helps her in congress, you need republican votes to get legislation past who are they going to listen to, a long time dem or a congresswoman who sees both sides of the argument.

I wish mark the best in this race especially in the special election and I would hope that supporters from the other camps like myself will be civil and refrain from demonizing a fellow member of our party. With that said it is important for every candidate in this race to bring up any argument that could be used by russell or burns in the general. Untested candidates usually lose, all candidates must be tested at some point.

She simply (obviously) has ZERO INTEREST in the party. She cant hide it.

Say it with me:

SHE IS GOING TO TRY TO WIN AND SWITCH THE SEAT TO REPUBLICAN!!!

SHE IS GOING TO TRY TO WIN AND SWITCH THE SEAT TO REPUBLICAN!!!

SHE IS GOING TO TRY TO WIN AND SWITCH THE SEAT TO REPUBLICAN!!!

SHE IS GOING TO TRY TO WIN AND SWITCH THE SEAT TO REPUBLICAN!!!

The writing is on the wall. No thinking person can even remotely think she has any interest in the party with her behavior.

She is a total EMBARRASSMENT! The Republicans can have her…but not in the 12th.

Mary Lou
I worked for Barbara when she was the State Treasurer and even though she was a Republican at the time she treated the Democrats better than most Democrats would have done. I know that for a fact as I worked for several. Enough said. In case you are uninformed Barbara never got along with the republicans so there is no way she would go back.
Tell the Gov that she has no interest in the party and you should get on your knee’s to thank God that she is willing to waste time running in the 12th since it may not be there soon. What will you say then?

Hafer 2010

[...] More importantly though, is where the two races differ.  Kennedy had no successor, so when former AG Martha Coakley, who had previously won a statewide election campaign, stepped up to run, the MA Democrat machine lined up to support her.  Although he was Murtha’s hand picked successor, Mark Critz had to battle with the PA Democrat machine before finally being presented with the nomination. [...]

[...] More importantly though, is where the two races differ.  Kennedy had no successor, so when former AG Martha Coakley, who had previously won a statewide election campaign, stepped up to run, the MA Democrat machine lined up to support her.  Although he was Murtha’s hand picked successor, Mark Critz had to battle with the PA Democrat machine before finally being presented with the nomination. [...]