Congress News

Government shutdown: more on the PA connection

by Nia Meeks on April 8, 2011 at 11:33 am

In an era of contentious political squabbles and increased unknowns in FrackingLand (aka Pennsylvania), it’s good to know that members of the Keystone Congressional delegation can put policy over partisanship. It’s perhaps disturbing to know that they can put it over thoughtfulness as well.

Breaking ranks is one thing. Breaking ranks to pDown in D.C., the case boils down to basic science – climate change believers vs. its skeptics – and whether the EPA should attempt to regulate greenhouse emissions. It’s an easy guess which corner the Republican majority calls home. Apparently, so do 19 House Democrats, including three Pennsylvanians./p
pema rel="attachment wp-att-9881" href="http://www.pa2012.com/2011/04/government-shutdown-more-on-the-pa-connection/altmire_jason-pa-4/" onclick="return TrackClick('http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pa2012.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fgovernment-shutdown-more-on-the-pa-connection%2Faltmire_jason-pa-4%2F','altmire_jason+PA+4')"img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-9881" title="altmire_jason PA 4" src="http://www.pa2012.com/wp-content/themes/whiteboardmedia/images_layout/altmire_jason-PA-4-150x150.jpg" alt="altmire jason PA 4 150x150 Government shutdown: more on the PA connection" width="55" height="55" //aThe Hill/em reported Thursday evening that U.S. Reps. Jason Altmire, Mark Critz and Tim Holden a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/154717-overnight-energy" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://thehill.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fblogs%2Fe2-wire%2F677-e2-wire%2F154717-overnight-energy','joined+with+their+GOP+colleagues')">joined with their GOP colleagues to strip funding from the EPA. Countering this action is the stance of the Democrat-controlled Senate, highlighting one …

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Another $50K loan for Huber
Three weeks before primary day, Republican Paul Huber hadn’t stopped loaning money to his campaign.
Having already kicked in $250,000 toward his run in the 3rd Congressional District through March, Huber loaned another $50,000 to the effort last month, according to newly filed …
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May 4, 2010 at 8:30 am | Comments (1)
Murtha’s PAC gives Critz another $5K
Democrat Mark Critz continues to benefit from the war chest left behind by his late boss John Murtha.
Politico …
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May 4, 2010 at 7:00 am | Comments (1)
Pike’s first mailer takes Gerlach to task on Wall Street
Two weeks before primary day, Democratic congressional hopeful Doug Pike is stepping up the effort to raise his name recognition with a campaign mailer that criticizes Congressman Jim Gerlach (R-6) for taking campaign contributions from financial industry PACs and then opposing regulatory reform.
“Jim Gerlach cashed every single check Wall Street ever wrote for him and voted against Wall Street reform and consumer protection legislation,” the mailer says.
“Doug Pike wants to get our money …
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May 3, 2010 at 3:59 pm | Comments (3)
Critz defends Murtha in new ad
Democrat Mark Critz is sticking up for his longtime boss John Murtha, using a new campaign ad to accuse Republican opponent Tim Burns of besmirching the late congressman’s legacy in his own ad blitz.
The 30-second spot in the increasingly bitter special election battle is a response to a Burns ad that, without mentioning Murtha, brings up the Office of Congressional Ethics investigation that dogged him until his death and seeking to hang it on …
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May 3, 2010 at 3:50 pm | Comments (4)
With opponent flooding the airwaves, Russell takes to radio
JOHNSTOWN—Republican Bill Russell became the underdog to win his party’s May 18 primary the moment the GOP nominated Tim Burns to be its candidate for the special election that same day. That dynamic has arguably been further solidified by the fact that Burns, a wealthy businessman, has been flooding local TV with campaign commercials, supplemented by independent expenditures from national Republicans.
But Russell, who has yet to buy his own TV time, is hoping that …
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May 3, 2010 at 11:30 am | Comments (0)
Grabb promises 4 terms max, will ‘cut Obama off at the knees’
ERIE—If there was ever a candidate for the current political climate, Clayton Grabb would seem to be it.
A Tea Party activist and Republican hopeful in the 3rd Congressional District, Grabb is a Navy veteran who proudly calls America a “Christian nation,” talks glowingly of term limits and says he has “no loyalty at all” to the party. He strikes a fiercely populist tone in public appearances and in one-on-one conversations, and is decidedly an …
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May 3, 2010 at 10:30 am | Comments (57)
In Pike vs. Trivedi, who’s really more electable?
Even as they agree their contentious 6th District primary is all about beating Jim Gerlach, Democrats Doug Pike and Manan Trivedi have increasingly been making the argument that each of them is more electable against the incumbent. So who really is the better candidate to carry the Democratic banner into November?
It’s a good question, political insiders and analysts say.
“Who is going to be able to mount a better campaign against Jim Gerlach is …
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May 3, 2010 at 9:45 am | Comments (16)
EXCLUSIVE: Kanjorski going on the air Tuesday
Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11) will take his renomination pitch to the airwaves Tuesday, exactly two weeks before primary voters head to the polls.
Kanjorski’s first ad is a 30-second spot that highlights his support for extending unemployment benefits. In the ad, an out-of-work Scranton resident says that “Congressman Kanjorski helped me and thousands of others.”
A person familiar with the ad buy told pa2010.com that the ad is set to saturate broadcast TV in the …
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May 3, 2010 at 8:00 am | Comments (1)
12th DISTRICT NOTES: More outside cash, Scott Brown for Burns, a Dem poll
With just over two weeks left until the May 18 special election in the 12th District, there’s a flurry of political action happening from western Pennsylvania to Washington.
Truckloads of money continue to pour into the race in the form of independent expenditures. The National Republican Congressional Committee dropped $231,000 on another media buy Sunday, according to campaign finance data, as well as another $15,000 on polling. The DCCC also kept up its big play, …
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May 3, 2010 at 7:45 am | Comments (0)
Lentz hits Meehan’s law-and-order bona fides
A few weeks after his campaign’s bid to keep Republican Pat Meehan off the ballot …
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May 3, 2010 at 7:30 am | Comments (14)