Even though Congressional leaders in the House have floated the idea of passing a one-week funding bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid rejected the idea Wednesday. Republicans are looking for $40 billion in budget cuts while Democrats are only willing to consider $33 billion in cuts. Democrats also argue that the cuts Republicans are demanding are ideologically driven, pointing to cuts to organizations such as Planned Parenthood and National Public Radio.

If the government does shut down, about 800,000 federal government employees can expect to be furloughed. The shutdown would also stop paychecks to military members, though Sens. Robert P. Casey (D-Pa) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) are the lead sponsors of a bill that would ensure soldiers continue to be paid through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

Despite all of the potential negative consequences of a government shutdown and the fact that a 1995 shutdown actually cost $1.25 billion, the Tea Party faction has been practically screaming for a shutdown of what they consider a bloated bureaucracy.

With that in mind, here is a rundown on Pennsylvania’s Congressional Delegation stands on a possible shutdown. It is difficult to find any overt support for a government shutdown, though Rep. Lou Barletta is on record saying that his constituents may support a shutdown if that’s what it takes to rein in spending. One common theme is that Republicans (and even one Democrat) blame the Democratic-controlled Senate for not passing a budget last year. In December, Talking Points Memo noted that nine Senate Republicans walked away from their support of an omnibus spending bill that had been negotiated for months.

Senator Robert Casey (D): In addition to his sponsorship of the military pay bill, Casey joined 15 other moderate Democrats in signing a letter to House Speaker John Boehner urging him to avoid a shutdown. The letter calls a shutdown “irresponsible” and notes it would distract from a focus on creating jobs and reducing the debt. It also accuses Republicans of using the possible shutdown to make a political point.

Senator Pat Toomey (R): Toomey told the Allentown Morning Call that a government shutdown is “not okay” and no way to run a government. However, he also blamed the last Congress, of which he was not a part, for its failure to pass a budget on time. Toomey made similar statements in February when Congress was considering a short-term continuing resolution.

Robert Brady (D PA-01): We could not find a definitive statement on the looming shutdown from Brady. He did vote for the latest stop-gap measure that funds the government through April 8. He also supports measures that would devote any unused portion of a member’s Representational Allowance to reducing the deficit.

Chaka Fattah (D PA-02): Fattah posted a link on Facebook and Twitter linking to a poll that shows most Americans don’t want to see a government shutdown. He also wrote a post for the Huffington Post detailing his plan to eliminate the $14.3 trillion national debt in 10 years. He called for a one percent tax on the $445 in transactions that go through the Federal Reserve.

Mike Kelly (R PA-03): Kelly voted in favor of HR 1225, the constitutionally questionable bill that would declare HR 1, the Republican-sponsored budget that would cut $61.5 billion, to be the final bill from Congress should the Senate fail to pass a budget. Kelly blames the Senate for not passing a budget last year. The liberal blogosphere also called Kelly on his claim that a shutdown would not disrupt Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Jason Altmire (D PA-04): The National Republican Congressional Committee attacked Altmire for his comments on Fox News March 31 that Democrats are to blame for not passing a budget on time last year. During a recent town hall meeting, Altmire praised a shift in thinking from spending to cutting, but warned against haphazard cuts.

Glenn “GT” Thompson (R PA-05): Thompson spoke on the House Floor April 5 and blamed the inaction of the Senate for failing to pass a budget and railed about running the government on continuing resolutions. “Even if we all agree a program is efficient and needed, we can’t spend money we don’t have,” he said. He has been clear that a government shutdown would be costly and unproductive. The Center Daily Times reported that 18 Tea Party members protested Thompson’s vote on the March temporary funding bill.

Jim Gerlach (R PA-06): Gerlach also voted for the temporary funding measure and blamed Senate Democrats for not passing a budget. He is not in favor of a shutdown, saying, “Job creators need certainty to start hiring again, not one more countdown to a federal government shutdown.”

Pat Meehan (R PA-07): Meehan held a town hall meeting in March where he argued that a government shutdown would not be beneficial when a resident challenged opponents of the Affordable Care Act to do so. Still, Meehan is in favor of the Republicans’ 2012 spending plan which would cut $6.2 trillion over 10 years but has been largely panned by the left for its cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. He has also released a statement defending his vote to defund NPR.

Michael Fitzpatrick (R PA-08): Fitzpatrick also blamed Senate Democrats for not passing a budget. “The American people and job creators should no longer be held hostage to the Senate’s inaction on the federal budget,” he wrote in a press release. His press release on the Republican budget proposal was less committal than Meehan, urging his constituents to get familiar with the plan and “and be active participants in this national discussion.”

Bill Shuster (R PA-09): A spokesperson for Shuster told the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat that the Congressman hopes to avoid a shutdown. He also posted a video talking about the dangers of increasing federal government spending.

Tom Marino (R PA-10): Marino told the Sunbury Daily Item that Republicans do not want to shut down the government and called on the Senate to pass HR 1. He also posted a message on his Facebook page supporting the proposal to pay soldiers in the event of a shutdown.

Lou Barletta (R PA-11): On March 28, Barletta announced that he would not support any more stop-gap spending measures. “Stringing together short-term continuing resolutions only extends the uncertainty among local and national job creators, and that will slow our economic recovery at home,” he wrote in the press release. He also told the Morning Call that he thinks his constituents want to see the federal government reduce spending and might support a shutdown if that’s what it takes.

Mark Critz (D PA-12): Critz called on Congress to end “the partisan bickering and finalize a responsible budget.” However, if the government would shut down, he is co-sponsoring the House bill that would deny a paycheck to members of Congress. Critz also railed against the Republicans’ spending plan, saying it hurts senior citizens while keeping in place tax cuts for the wealthy and oil company subsidies.

Allyson Schwartz (D PA-13): Schwartz agrees that the government should be making cuts in spending, but has called the proposed Republican spending cuts, “reckless.” She also says that the Republicans’ 2012 budget would not reduce costs, just shift costs to senior citizens.

Mike Doyle (D PA-14): Doyle condemned passage of HR 1, calling it destructive and counterproductive. “Frankly, it’s exactly what I’d expect to see when people who hate government are put in charge of it,” Congressman Doyle wrote in his press release. “They say government is useless and inefficient, and if they get their way, it soon will be.” He also posted a message on Twitter saying that the 2012 Republican budget proposal would “destroy Medicare as we know it.”

Charlie Dent (R PA-15): In his announcement that he voted for the last stop-gap spending measure, Dent said, “To avoid the extremely disruptive impact a shutdown would have on our economy, it was absolutely necessary the House passed an additional short-term Continuing Resolution.” Dent also told the Morning Call that he is worried about a shutdown, particularly if military paychecks are not issued. Dent called the 2012 Republican budget proposal “a serious and sobering document” and said that the Medicare and Medicaid proposals deserve thoughtful review.

Joe Pitts (R PA-16): Pitts voted against the bill in March to fund the government through April 8. He also told The Hill newspaper in March that “more and more” social conservatives are considering not voting for legislation that would defund Planned Parenthood and the Affordable Care Act. On April 1, Pitts wrote about the pressing need to cut spending.

Tim Holden (D PA-17): We could not find any definitive statements from Holden, but he did vote in favor of the latest stop-gap spending measure.

Tim Murphy (R PA-18): Murphy also explicitly blames the Senate Democrats for their failure to pass a budget, but did vote for the latest stop gap measure. In his statement he said, “The time for stalling and half-measures and one-week spending bills has long since passed. The longer we postpone the difficult decisions that have to be made, the worse off we become.” He did, however, join in urging the Senate to continue issuing paychecks to military personnel if the government does shut down.

Todd Platts (R PA-19): Platts told the Gettysburg Times “Our intent is to keep government open.” However, he also blames Senate Democrats for failing to pass a budget. He also sent out a press release in early March discussing the problem of duplicated efforts in the federal budget, noting that eliminating such duplication could save $100 billion.

The morning started with an e-mail from Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13) on behalf of Manan Trivedi, the Democratic candidate in the 6th District. Schwartz had backed Trivedi’s opponent Doug Pike in the May primary, but now she was going to bat for Trivedi. “This district has been a challenge over these past several election cycles,” Schwartz wrote in an e-mail to Trivedi’s supporters. “So many times we have come so close to taking this seat and turning it blue. I know that we can do it this year with Manan, but we can’t do it without your help.”

Later we heard from newly-elected Delaware County Democratic chief David Landau, who was writing to pull in some last minute dough for Bryan Lentz in the 7th District. “We are just a few thousand dollars shy of our goal,” Landau said. “Any contribution, no matter how small, helps.” Just a few minutes later we got an e-mail from the campaign of Lentz’s Republican opponent, Pat Meehan. “Nancy Pelosi made it clear this week this is one of her top targets for November so we can expect her to throw everything our way,” Meehan wrote to supporters.

We at pa2010.com Central were looking forward to the e-mail asks continuing all the way until the midnight deadline.

Meanwhile, the National Republican Congressional Committee has moved Mike Fitzpatrick up its list of House challengers. Fitzpatrick trying to win back the 8th District seat he lost to Democrat Patrick Murphy in 2006. Already part of the NRCC’s so-called Young Guns program—and we only say “so-called” because not everyone in the program meets our definition of “young”—Fitzpatrick was bumped from “Contender” status to being a full-fledged Young Gun. The program serves as the NRCC’s hub for tracking and helping top-tier House challengers. “Mike Fitzpatrick has proven that he is ready to put this seat back in the Republican column,” Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX), the NRCC chairman, said in a statement. “Mike’s campaign is a symbol of the growing momentum behind Republican candidacies both in Pennsylvania and across the country.”

And we were treated to some more details about the big Joe Biden-Nancy Pelosi-Bryan Lentz fundraiser, thanks to an invitation that showed up in our inbox Wednesday. The invitation bills the event as “Lunch with the Vice President and Speaker of the House.” Hosted by Schwartz and Democratic fundraiser Dan Berger, it’s going down July 19 at the Sheraton in downtown Philadelphia. The invitation doesn’t list any minimum donation amounts, but the proceeds are going to Pennsylvania Victory Fund 2010—the joint fundraising committee through which Lentz and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee are splitting the afternoon’s haul.

Always excited at the chance to tie anyone to Nancy Pelosi, Republicans were already getting into the action on this one, with the state GOP branding Lentz a “Biden-Pelosi Democrat,” and GOP chairman Rob Gleason saying in a statement: “Bryan Lentz’s decision to align himself with two of the architects of the most wasteful liberal agenda in American history tells you all you need to know about what type of Congressman Bryan Lentz will be.”

Specter also took a shot at primary challenger Joe Sestak for his comments on the matter. “Every move I make he’s trying to politicize,” Specter said, according to Politico. “He might want to rush to judgment and make a decision before a hearing, before knowing what the facts are. But I take these things very seriously. I have a long record on a dozen of these, asking questions, considering it, and coming to an informed decision.”

Meanwhile, Specter got from Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13), who endorsed the Republican-turned-Democrat and called him a “valuable asset” in an e-mail to supporters. “In seeking a sixth term, Senator Specter wants to continue the unfinished business of the country including creating American jobs, implementing the health care reform law and improving education,” Schwartz wrote. “The experience and seniority he gained over the last 30 years in the Senate is a valuable asset as we continue to meet the serious challenges ahead.”

And with the Senate primary eating up all the political oxygen as of late, it’s easy to forget there’s a governor’s race, too. In that contest, it looks an advocacy group for the disabled has found its candidate—and didn’t have to look to hard. The Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania asked the candidates in both parties questions about disability issues, and apparently Democrat Joe Hoeffel was the only one to respond. Hoeffel’s campaign pointed out its sole participation in the groups’ questionnaire, and he’s also the only one with any mention of the issue on his campaign Web site. “With this lack of response, it appears none of the candidates (besides Hoeffel) have a thought about disabilities,” wrote one blog about the matter. “Days away from the Pennsylvania primary and it appears the candidates are playing it safe.”

Why would two Democrats, with a huge financial advantage and almost no chance of losing this fall, behave in this manner?

I don’t know, but I suspect it shows how jittery Democrats are in the wake of the supposedly “historic” health care bill. Every candidate who runs unopposed means that much more money and attention for those who have opposition. If people like Schwartz and Brady, who (especially Schwartz) raise piles of money, can share all or most of it with others that is a substantial advantage.

Apparently the Democratic insiders don’t believe their official line that health care marks the high-water mark of GOP reaction and the beginnings of a liberal comeback. And with good reason. The health care bill is wildly unpopular, passed by a dubious procedure and is the subject of a lawsuit by numerous state attorneys general.

While its details are confusing, the bill’s  basic outline—a transfer of money from middle class (especially older) voters to poorer or working class people and, more immediately, to insurance companies—is understandable to everyone. Under these conditions, assuming the bill is “irreversible,” or that people will like it more as it gets pushed down their throats, defies common sense.

Indeed, not even the Democrats themselves appear to believe it—which may be one reason they are taking no chances.

And interestingly, all three challenges come from the same three people, according to public records: Sharon Boddy and Charles Gramlich of Abington Township, along with former Bryn Athyn Mayor Hyland Johns.

I realize that nominating petitions are challenged all the time, but here’s the skinny: If you check back in the Congressional Record from Jan. 13, you will see incumbent Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13) mentioning Johns in very favorable terms. I haven’t been able to find anything of consequence on Boddy or Gramlich. The law firm of Flaster-Greenberg is handling these three petition challenges, and one attorney on the case is Abbe Fletman, who has is also listed as having counseled the Obama-Biden ticket in Philadelphia.

Let’s see if you can wrap this with fish. This is an absolute page out of the Obama playbook. In 1996, when Obama won his state Senate seat, he ran unopposed in the primary after having the other Democrats knocked off the ballot. His 2006 race for U.S. Senate was similar.

I can’t prove it definitely, but I think that what’s happening in the 13th is that Schwartz is going for victory right out of the gate. It’s amazing that the political process of running for office has come down to eliminating democracy, and almost all opposition.

What is this country becoming?

Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8) and Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13) were among four co-chairs of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” program announced Monday. In addition to aiding challengers, the program also assists in open-seat races.

Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-Md.) and Congressman Bruce Braley (D-Ia.) are also co-chairing the program.

“The DCCC is focused on not only protecting our threatened incumbents, but also staying aggressively on offense,” Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the DCCC chair, said in a statement. “The talented leadership of our battle-tested Red to Blue chairs Bruce Braley, Allyson Schwartz, Patrick Murphy, and Donna Edwards will ensure Democratic candidates have the infrastructure and support they need to be successful.”

Early comments on the vote have emphasized the so-called Matthews Effect, under which anyone associated with County Commissioner Jim Matthews, a Republican who has thrown his lot in with Democrat Joe Hoeffel on the county board, is consigned to political oblivion (Dachowski is related to Matthews by marriage). Dachowski had raised more money than Adcock, although still vastly less than that available to Schwartz, and seemed to have a better campaign operation.

I don’t know much about Adcock, and I don’t know what role, if any, the Matthews connection played in Dachowski’s defeat. I do know that Adcock’s quarterly report shows him having raised a grand total of $3,450 beyond the $15,000 he himself has contributed to the campaign, and the lead article on his Web site is from a publication known as Pool and Spa News (Adcock is a swimming pool contractor). Neither of these is likely to frighten Schwartz, who is sitting on more than $2.8 million, or even force her to spend much time and money defending a seat in what until recently was a swing district. While Republicans in Bucks County, Delaware County and elsewhere move aggressively to take advantage of the new political climate, the Montgomery County Republican Party thus prefers to settle personal scores and focus on local patronage issues.

It may, or may not, retain control of the county in two years. But its days as anything more than a local force are pretty much over.

1. Spending on one’s own campaign is all the rage, and why not? Surely no one believes in a candidate as much as the candidate himself. Be they in-kind expenditures, direct donations or campaign loans, House candidates in Pennsylvania kicked more than $700,000 into their own races in late 2009, according to campaign finance data. There’s the relatively small spenders, like the $3,400 spent by 11th District Republican Chris Paige to cover expenses. Then there’s the big dogs, like 6th District Democrat Doug Pike, who gave his campaign another $340,000 last quarter, and 6th District Republican Steven Welch who gave his campaign $150,000 after sticking to loans worth half-a-million earlier in the cycle. Throughout this cycle, Pike and Welch alone have thrown a combined $1.5 million at their own candidacies.

2. Sometimes the money race looks just plain unfair. Take Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13), who’s $2.84 million on hand is more than 100 times what her potential GOP rivals have—combined. Or what about state Representative Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware)? He’s out-raising his primary opponents more than 140-fold.

3. Go Phillies! Nothing wrong with a $500 contribution to Republican 7th District hopeful Pat Meehan, courtesy of the president of the 2008 World Series champs.

4. Gotta spend money to make money. Republican Bill Russell has raised $2.8 million since late 2008. But he’s spent almost all of it on massive direct-mail and voter contact efforts., and finished 2009 with just $211,000 in the bank. His candidacy was very much based on unseating longtime Congressman John Murtha (D-12). But after Murtha’s unfortunate passing, will Russell still be able to raise as much?

But not every Philly-area lawmaker was willing to give props to the Bronx Bombers.

Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13), who’s district includes northeast Philadelphia, voted against the resolution. A spokeswoman told The Hill that Schwartz is “a dedicated Phillies fan, and she’s just not over the loss.”

For the record, Congressman Joe Sestak (D-7) voted for the measure.

“I’ll honor any champion—as long as its not the Mets,” Sestak said.

So here’s a quick rundown of the fundraising hauls reported by incumbents from both parties.

Freshman Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper raised about $180,000, finishing the quarter with almost $544,000 in cash on hand. Her campaign still has more than $50,000 in debt, most from loans made by the candidate.

Sophomore Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8) made some more headway in rebuilding a campaign war chest that was largely depleted after he spent heavily in the closing weeks before last year’s election, raising about $308,000. He’s raised about $1.1 million during the cycle and has about $620,000 on hand.

Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-13) raised about $231,000, and has almost $2.6 million on hand, a sum that eclipses Republican opponent Damian Dachowski’s war chest more than 100 times over.

And freshman Congressman Glenn Thompson (R-5) raised $132,000. He has about $200,000 on hand.