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LEFTOVERS: Tea Party on Schneller, Murphy’s dues, Trivedi’s snap medicine

A pair of local Tea Party groups aren’t happy with Jim Schneller. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Schneller is the third-party candidate in the 7th Congressional District who got on the ballot with some help from supporters of Democratic nominee Bryan Lentz. Schneller says he didn’t know Lentz allies were among those circulating nominating petitions on his behalf.

Either way, both the Independence Hall Tea Party Association and the Delaware County Patriots are concerned that Schneller could swing the close election away from Republican Pat Meehan. In a letter to Schneller on Wednesday, both organizations wrote that they are “concerned and disappointed” by his candidacy, and particularly by the “involvement of Democratic operatives.”

“These people have either used, manipulated or worse yet, preyed on your ambivalence as a ploy to get Bryan Lentz elected.” Saying it is “critical to win this seat,” the Tea Party folks go on to ask Schneller to drop out of the race “in the best interest of the country we both love.”

Schneller seems pretty determined, so we’re not holding our breath. But it could happen.

Meanwhile, one House Democrat who’s not on the party’s list of endangered incumbents is still skimping on his dues to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. CQ Politics reports that Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8) has only paid $10,000 in DCCC dues, when you’re supposed to pay well over $100,000. Murphy isn’t one of the vulnerable incumbents in the party’s “Frontline” program who are exempted from paying dues.

On the other hand, we have a feeling the folks in Washington aren’t exactly peeved at Murphy. He’s pretty much the committee’s most influential Democrat in Pennsylvania, and it’s quite possible that it was his choice not to be listed on the “Frontline” program. One way or the other, he’s clearly saving up cash for a competitive rematch against Republican Mike Fitzpatrick, who he unseated in 2006.

And while we did report Wednesday that Democrat Manan Trivedi hasn’t been to his hospital job in quite a while, let there be no doubt that the 6th District hopeful is still a doctor who can practice some medicine. Roll Call (subscription only) reports that Trivedi was quick to act when a woman suffered from a seizure outside a fundraiser last week in Washington. The Capitol Hill newspaper tells us that Trivedi left the fundraiser to attend to the woman until paramedics arrived. “He made sure that she didn’t hit her head or bite her tongue and went through all the other things you do when someone has a seizure,” a campaign spokeswoman said.

Those skills might come in handy when we reporters collapse from exhaustion on the campaign trail this year.

share001btn LEFTOVERS: Tea Party on Schneller, Murphys dues, Trivedis snap medicine

August 4, 2010 at 5:42 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

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  1. Jimbo for Delco

    Aug 4th, 2010

    The true patriots are with you Jim. The true independents among us are with you! The Delco Patriots are a front group for the courthouse rethuglicans. Remember, a great wind WILL carry you through to greatness.

  2. sick of it all

    Aug 4th, 2010

    I am not a tea party guy, but I agree the delco patriots are a front group for the delco machine…jimbo took itright out of my mouth

  3. David Diano

    Aug 4th, 2010

    Jimbo and Sick-
    Are you suggesting Delco Patriots = Delco Patronage?

  4. Anonymous

    Aug 4th, 2010

    the local tea party group, Delco Patriots, flirted with a libertarian streak for awhile but eventually reverted into a GOP front group. The larger Philly area tea party unbrella organization is and always has been a fraud. And by the way that woman you see demonstrating at Sestak rallie, outside his office and in the papers, was a candidate for GOP state committee – got quite a few votes too. Like many tea party activists she identifies herself as a grass roots activist. That too is fraudulent.

  5. Bryan C

    Aug 5th, 2010

    Candidates for GOP state committee are not frauds. They are people who see that this country has gone to far to the left thanks to the help of the current crop of ‘moderates’ in the GOP. They are working to bring the GOP in the state back to a more conservative stance by doing it within the state party. None of these candidates who are sponsored by this ‘Tea Party’ political group are endorsed by the Tea Party Movement. They are a sham. This has been happening in other states as well where FAKE political groups are bringing out these 3rd-party candidates saying they are Tea Party candidates. Its a fraud, and who do you think is responsible? The same Dems who are helping these guys get the signatures.

  6. David Lewis

    Aug 5th, 2010

    i think know who you are taking about Anonymous. The only thing that I will add is that they made fun of her all day at the polls. She is an outsider in the least and a want to be at most.

    Fact is that they wouldn’t give her ice water if she asked. They had their own candidate who they pushed on the back of their regular ballot.

    She never promoted herself as a teabagger when she ran her handout on primary day had Toomey on Top with her and the other guy on the bottom. She and her daughter wasn’t at the polls for long.

    Finally your making yourself a tool when you show up in front of Sestak’s etc. If Joe decided not to run for Sen. does anyone believe that having say 20 teabaggers is going to hurt no it’s going to help him. It’s all a show to make it look it they are doing something.

  7. David Lewis

    Aug 5th, 2010

    And one more thing she made herself even more of a tool by running for State Committee once again make it look like your doing something and they were told to run for that not any local committee like they should have if they wanted to run for something

  8. David Lewis

    Aug 5th, 2010

    Jim you should remain on the ballot and speak true to your voice. Not the misguided tool that surround you.

  9. Anonymous

    Aug 5th, 2010

    The Independence Hall Tea Party Association is a GOP sham. They support RINOs and everything else the PA GOP prefers.

    Many tea partiers in Bucks County vowed to never attend another one of their events when they endorsed RINO Fitzpatrick for the GOP primary.

    They are a joke and should be ignored. They have zero credibility as a tea party group.

  10. David Lewis

    Aug 5th, 2010

    Independence Hall Tea Party Association backed Vodvarka in the Senate race and now they are crying about this.

  11. S.d. Willy

    Aug 5th, 2010

    Looks like a national story brewing in your own backyard! Why don’t you step up and ask some questions? This is getting stickier by the second for Lentz and
    his best worker Colleen guiney. Lentz really doesn’t want national scrutiny about who his workers are and what relationship he has with them! Especially not on this issue or any other one for that matter. Ask some questions Dan and don’t take no comment for an answer.

  12. Anonymous

    Aug 5th, 2010

    I doubt Lentz cares. Schneller is on the ballot and by all accounts nothing illegal has happened. A national story featuring Schneller is certainly not in Meehan’s interest. He needs to keep his whining pretty low key, not a good idea to attract a lot of attention to Schneller. And of course when you’re under investigation yourself for voter fraud.

  13. sick of it all

    Aug 6th, 2010

    Meehan would be better served if this story died and he did not look like he’s trying to kill the teabagger off the ballot-that will get the teabagger national news and national $ and more free exposure-all of which is bad news for Meehan.

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