Early decision

August 24, 2010 at 4:19 pm

This year marks one of the shortest “election years” in quite some time. Traditionally, a general election season lasts from Labor Day until Election Day. Labor Day comes later than normal this year and Election Day is as early as it can be, and with such a contracted campaign cycle, one can expect an even greater concentration of campaign ads clogging up TV airtime.

My advice to voters: make your decisions early.

I live in …

comments

comments [5] | post a comment

Political cowardice vs. what really matters

August 20, 2010 at 9:35 am

Congressman Jason Altmire (D-4) says he’s pFirst, I’d like to applaud Congressman Altmire for having his priorities so straight that he took the time to gin up fear of “the other” in order to convince a scared electorate that they should vote for him because he disapproved of something that made them uncomfortable. Bravo Congressman, you took the easy path./p
pI am not so much disappointed in Altmire, and others like Pat Toomey, for spending time criticizing construction of a Muslim community center in New York City as I am in what they are not focusing on currently./p
pHalf-a-world away, Pakistan is facing a natural disaster that is being called worse than the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. According to the United Nations, over 14 million people in Pakistan have been affected by the monsoon and subsequent flooding. Fourteen million people. Not 14 million Muslims, 14 million terrorists, 14 million scary bad guys, but 14 million empeople./em/p
pThe tragedy in Pakistan may be the most important issue in the world right now. It brings to light the problems of global climate change and the possibilities of more severe weather patterns as well as highlights the need for stability and safety in a highly volatile region. This is also a chance for America to show why we are and can be that shining example for the world./p
pSo far, I have not seen a public statement from Congressman Altmire or former Congressman Toomey, or most any other elected official, about the need to help the 14 million people suffering as a result of this disaster. However, they have had time to scare people about a community center in New York./p
pPersonally, I don’t know what is worse, the fact that we accept so little from our elected officials or that expect so little./p
pThe disappointing aspect of this is that Congressman Altmire, with the credibility and authority of a United States Congressman, has power to draw much needed attention to this tragedy. Americans are a giving people and our government, whether run by a Democrat or Republican, is always a leader in driving needed aid after disasters, as President Obama is helping to do now and President Bush did after the tsunami five and a half years ago. In America, there is no shortage of good-hearted people./p
pHowever, instead of appealing to our best nature, people like Congressman Altmire, who should know better, devote their time to stirring up fears to get votes. Comments from a congressman and a passionate outreach either through his Web site or to his email list might not win him many votes, but it might do something more important—save lives./p
pThese days, with cynicism running rampant, we expect very little from our elected officials, and far too often, they live up to those low expectations./p
pUnfortunately, we accept it./p
pOn a final note, if you want to contribute to something that is actually meaningful, a href="http://www.redcross.org/" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.redcross.org']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.redcross.org%2F','please+visit+the+Red+Cross')" target="_blank">please visit the Red Cross and help the 14 million people affected by this disaster.

That, and not fear mongering, is the American thing to do.

comments

comments [66] | post a comment

Defending partisanship

August 18, 2010 at 2:22 pm

In May, a friend of mine mentioned that he registered as a Democrat so that he could vote in the primary and the next day he switched back to register as an Independent. As I tried to convince him that there was a benefit to registering with a party and being able to vote in primaries, he made the same insistence that so many very serious people make at election time, that he votes for …

comments

comments [5] | post a comment

It’s about accountability, not incumbency

August 11, 2010 at 4:00 pm

After reading my colleague …

comments

comments [5] | post a comment

Don’t sanitize in the 6th

August 11, 2010 at 1:28 pm

A recent story here on pa2010.com reported that 6th District Democratic candidate …

comments

comments [0] | post a comment

Welcome to Blue Steel

August 9, 2010 at 11:09 pm

My writing is not intended to merely stoke the fires of the left/right debate, but to bring some reason into the heated arguments of politics. People view candidates and elected officials through the prism of their own political ideologies, and while I am a progressive-minded Democrat, I want to make sure that everyone calms down and looks at the overall picture.

Since 2002, I have worked on many political and issue-advocacy campaigns, predominantly in Pennsylvania, …

comments

comments [0] | post a comment