Scarnati’s special election date forces Reibman out

August 3, 2009 at 9:52 am

Gov. Ed Rendell really has reason to fume now. Last week he spoke angry words directed at Joe Scarnati for deciding to hold a special election for Rob Wonderling’s state Senate seat on Sept. 29 instead of Nov. 3, when the general elections for state and local offices will happen. Now, the only Democrat considering a run for the seat, Glenn Reibman, has dropped out of the race, saying that Scarnati’s chosen date does not…

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Harrisburg approval ratings dip near all time low

August 2, 2009 at 5:35 pm

Pennlive.com reports that the latest Quinnipiac University poll puts  approval ratings for Pennsylvania legislators close to an all time low. Favorability ratings for Pennsylvania legislators have dropped to 27 percent, which is just one percentage point higher than it was in the months following the General Assembly’s decision to give themselves a pay raise in 2005. That year, 20 percent of the General Assembly’s 256 seats were replaced by new legislators. This suggests that many should…

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Callahan’s track record should trump Republican smear tactics

July 30, 2009 at 1:53 pm

Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan will be a major force in the upcoming Congressional elections, which he is now definitely entering. Callahan’s announcement that he will be running for the 15th Congressional District seat brings relief to a host of Democrats who have urged Callahan to run for Congress, including Vice-President Joe Biden, who reportedly courted Callahan in late June.

Callahan will be running against Republican Charlie Dent, who was elected to Congress in 2004. Callahan says…

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Castor drops bid for state Senate

July 29, 2009 at 1:54 pm

Bruce Castor’s decision not to run for Senator Rob Wonderling’s seat came in an emailed statement early this week, leaving Bob Mensch as the only Republican now running for the seat. No Democrats have announced that they will run for the seat.

Wonderling is leaving the Senate to head the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and a special election will be held to replace him.

Castor’s dropout is part of a long story of tension between…

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Specter and Toomey neck-and-neck: time for voters to get to know the opposition

July 28, 2009 at 10:21 am

The latest Quinnipiac University poll now shows Pat Toomey and Arlen Specter in virtual a tie for the 2010 Senate race. Specter’s favorability has taken a devastating blow, as 49 percent of the respondents say that Specter does not deserve reelection. Although Specter holds a strong lead over Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7), he is now neck and neck with Toomey, as 45 percent of respondents say they would vote for Specter and 44 percent say…

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Sestak on ‘don’t ask don’t tell’

July 20, 2009 at 9:56 am

Politicians must get tired of having reporters and bloggers constantly writing about them. Perhaps this is why Joe Sestak published an op-ed in The Inquirer last week which stated clearly his stance on the “don’t ask don’t tell policy” and tried to put himself at the forefront of the fight for gay soldiers.

In the op-ed Sestak calls the policy a “flawed compromise that should never have been enacted,” arguing that skilled soldiers are essential…

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Meehan returning $10K is the prudent move

July 9, 2009 at 9:39 am

GOP gubernatorial candidate Pat Meehan will

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A labor battle is brewing: Philadelphia’s mayor freezes payroll increases

July 8, 2009 at 9:26 am

Philadelphia is in the midst of a union battle that could be one of the more dramatic tussles that the city has seen with its four major municipal unions in years.

With the Philadelphia budget in shambles and a projected $1-billion dollar deficit over the next five years, Mayor Michael Nutter has proposed payroll changes that city workers are finding tough to swallow.

Nutter will be cutting payroll increases for more than 20,000 city workers,…

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In budget statement, Rendell makes an emotional appeal

June 24, 2009 at 1:36 pm

In a truly inspiring

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Why state Republicans should rethink their education-spending stance

June 22, 2009 at 3:30 pm

While Pennsylvania’s legislators argue over the state budget, the federal government is putting pressure on Republicans to reconsider cuts that they have up until now insisted on making.

Republican state legislators have chosen to trim the state budget instead of increase the income tax. They should probably be putting their foots in their mouths: The Obama administration has threatened to withhold stimulus money intended as aid for schools from states that cut their education budgets.…

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