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LEFTOVERS: Corbett hits back, CQ on Kanjo cash, endorsements & jobs in the 6th

The nonstop tax attacks from Democrat Dan Onorato must finally be getting under gubernatorial rival Tom Corbett’s skin, because his campaign, which ordinarily doesn’t seem so concerned with winning the daily news cycle, is starting to throw a couple punches back here or there.

After Onorato spent a second consecutive day hitting Corbett on the subject of taxes, Corbett’s campaign e-mailed reporters a list Wednesday of all the tax and fee increases Onorato has supported over the course of his career. Some of the highlights: pools, hospitals, parking, and of course, the infamous drink tax.

“As many Pennsylvanians know,” Corbett campaign manager Brian Nutt said, “living within your means takes courage and commitment, both of which Tom Corbett displayed by pledging to keep state spending within its means and refusing to raise taxes as governor.”

Meanwhile, Keystone State Republicans were gleefully pointing to a CQ MoneyLine study of campaign cash, examining which politicians get the bulk of their financial support from outside their home states. Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11), according to the study, got almost 60 percent of the personal contributions he’s received from outside the state, compared to only 12 percent of non-Pennsylvania cash for Republican opponent Lou Barletta.

Alas, Republicans might not want to throw stones on this one. Plenty of GOPers are on the list, and with 78 percent of their cash coming from in-state, Republican candidates hardly out-shined their Democratic counterparts by a huge margin: on average, Democrats got 70 percent of their cash from their home states.

And there’s been plenty of action in the 6th Congressional District this week, including a few endorsements. Democrat Manan Trivedi won the formal support of Howard Dean’s Democracy for America group, which called Trivedi “a progressive champion who will move us forward.” You may remember that Dean is coming to Pennsylvania to raise campaign cash for Trivedi and fellow Democrat Bryan Lentz next month. Incumbent Republican Jim Gerlach’s campaign, naturally, said the DFA endorsement “confirms he’s a liberal.”

Gerlach had a couple endorsements of his own to boast. The Chester County Fraternal Order of Police announced its support Tuesday, and the and the county’s Chamber of Business and Industry endorsed him Wednesday. “We’ve gone to him numerous times for help and he’s always done everything in his power on our behalf,” local FOP spokesman John Bailey said. “Jim has always been there for us. We’re blessed to have him in this district.”

His endorsement from the Chester County business group on the same day he was addressing its Chamber counterpart in Reading, where he talked up the Small Business Assistance Relief Act, The Reading Eagle reports. “The record in Congress is pathetic in understanding the fundamentals of economics and job creation,” Gerlach said. “This bill reflects things small businesses have told us.”

Trivedi was also talking all about jobs Wednesday. He made three stops in the suburban Philadelphia district, touching town in Pottstown, Malvern and Merion Station. Among his policy points were tax cuts and incentives to expand small business, investments in clean energy manufacturing, and infrastructure renewal.

“Here in our community we know what’s really going on—we know that many of our neighbors are out of work, and those lucky enough to still have a job are often being asked to work longer hours for less pay while living in fear that they might be the next to be laid off,” Trivedi said in a statement later. “That is why the number one priority for anyone who wants to represent Pennsylvania’s 6th District must be to fight for the creation of new jobs and to protect existing jobs.  We should work to create an environment that supports businesses in our district, and allows them to succeed and grow. We must restore economic opportunities for new generations of Americans and ensure that the American Dream is still available to anyone willing to work hard.”

August 25, 2010 at 9:12 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Dan Onorato, Jim Gerlach, Lou Barletta, Manan Trivedi, PA-11, PA-6, Paul Kanjorski, Tom Corbett

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