Weekend Update

WOW!!!  What a busy weekend - but more importantly, what a great weekend for Liberty.

Friday night I had the chance to attend the PA Family Dinner with about 999 other patriotic Americans.  Sarah Palin spoke and did a fantastic job.  As she was talking about the need to elect people who are pro-life, who support traditional marriage, who will cut taxes for PA Families and who support school choice, I thought she was going to break into a commercial for Tom Corbett.  Because this was a non-partisan event, she did not do so, but the principles that she and Tom are fighting for really excite me as I look toward the future of our state and our nation.  I had the opportunity to spend most of the evening with our next Lt. Governor, Jim Cawley.  I had not spent a whole lot of time with him prior to Friday, but must say I was extremely impressed with his passion for cutting spending in Harrisburg.  It was obvious that it was more than just the politically correct thing to say.  He believes it deeply.

Saturday morning began shortly after 3:00 when we went out and thanked those who were going to Washington DC for the Restoring Honor Rally.  (On a personal note, my father was one of the ministry leaders that Glenn had join him on stage for a prayer for our nation.  Thanks goes out to David Barton for that invitation.)  The feedback we got from the entire day was extremely positive. 

Finally, we have two new Monday morning launches I wanted to tell you about.  First, we have a brand new TV ad that focuses on Tom Corbett's commitment to not raise taxes.  You can click here to view the latest ad before it hits the airwaves. 
The second Monday morning launch is for a new Facebook page entitled PHORCE for Corbett.  PHORCE is an acronym for Pennsylvania Homeschoolers for Real Choice in Education.  If you are a homeschool family and would like to be a "PHORCE" for good in PA, join our group HERE.

The Case for Liberty

"Mixed Bag".

That's the analysis that many in the mainstream press will have regarding yesterday's election results and the impact that the Tea Party is having on the direction of our nation.

I disagree.

Yesterday's results demonstrate the increasing strength of the Tea Party Movement and those who do not see yesterday as a total victory for liberty do not understand what is behind this movement.  The Tea Party Movement is NOT about a specific candidate or party.  It is about the promotion of Liberty. Whenever I talk to Tea Party Leaders, they tell me that their goal is two-fold when it comes to candidates:

1. RESTORE:  To force elected officials to return to our Constitution - to oppose universal healthcare and illegal immigration - to end wasteful earmarks and deficit spending and to restore our nation to what was intended by our Founding Fathers.

OR

2. REPLACE:  When our elected officials are unwilling to listen to "We the People", to replace them with someone who will.

Yesterday's results in Arizona and Alaska were VICTORIES for the Tea Party Movement.  They were NOT a "mixed bag" of results.  Here's why...

Arizona -  In Arizona, the conventional wisdom said that a Victory for JD Hayworth was a victory for the Tea Party Movement and that a victory for John McCain was a defeat for the Tea Party Movement.  Again, those who take that view do not understand what the tea party is all about.  John McCain won because he effectively portrayed JD Hayworth as being a big spender.  I like JD, but John McCain was able to show video of Hayworth serving as the pitchman for "Free Federal Money", paid for by American taxpayers.  Arizonans said NO.  And for all of McCain's faults, he has been an advocate for eliminating earmarks, has stood against the healthcare bill and most recently came out in favor of Arizona's illegal immigration bill.  In short, John McCain won because he convinced the voters of Arizona that he was more in line with the pro-liberty policies advocated by the tea-party.  Now the responsibility of the Tea Party is to hold his feet to the fire and keep him accountable.

Alaska - As I write this, the final results are not yet in for Alaska, but a first-time candidate is actually winning against a sitting US Senator.  The fact that this race is even close is STUNNING!  This illustrates the power of the Tea Party Movement to defeat anti-Liberty candidates when necessary. 

So yesterday was a victory all the way around.  In Arizona, a sitting US Senator realized that his only path to reelection was to support commonsense, fiscally conservative, pro-Constitutional policies.  In Alaska, a sitting US Senator who refused to support the policies advocated by the Tea Party will probably lose.

This is not about a candidate - this is about LIBERTY, and yesterday was a victory for Liberty.

Yesterday was also a great sign for the Tom Corbett campaign.  Here's why:

Tom Corbett has signed the "No New Taxes" pledge - Dan Onorato refuses to do so.

Tom Corbett has filed a lawsuit to overturn Barack Obama's Healthcare Bill - Dan Onorato supports it.

Tom Corbett has joined with other Attorney's General in support of Arizona's anti-illegal immigration bill.
Dan Onorato has refused to support this law.

In short, Tom Corbett is the pro-liberty candidate, while Dan Onorato is the pro-government candidate.  Yesterday was a victory for LIBERTY in Arizona and Alaska.  November 2 will be a victory for Liberty in Pennsylvania as well when Tom Corbett - the pro-liberty candidate is elected as our next governor.


P.S. If you'd like to visit with Tom Corbett, here are some good locations to visit in the next couple of weeks. For more details on these events, check out our newly updated website - www.TomCorbettForGovernor.com

North East
Sept. 4 La Festa Italiana
Sept 5 La Festa Mass at St. Peters

South East
Aug 28 Philadelphia Gun Show in Oaks - (11:00 – 12:00 PM)
Aug 29 Meehan Clam Bake & German Event
Reading Terminal - (11:30 – 12:30 PM)
Danube Swabian Festival - (2:00-3:30 PM)
Sept. 18 Valley Forge Gun Show

South West
Aug 24 Indiana County GOP Picnic
Sept 5 Cambria County Fair
Sept 6 Pittsburgh Labor Day Parade and Picnics

Central
Aug 26 Elizabethtown Fair - (7:15 – 8:15 PM)
Aug 27 Centre County Grange Fair - (6:00 – 8:00 PM)
Sept 22 Ephrata Parade (7:00 PM)

Pro-Life But Anti-Corbett? Think again...

In the next 4 years, more than 100,000 babies are going to be killed in Pennsylvania by way of that horrific procedure known as abortion.  For those who claim to support the sanctity of life, yet oppose Tom Corbett, I ask you to consider the following -

There is currently a bill in the PA Legislature referred to as the Pre-Abortion Ultrasound Counseling Bill.  This bill, if passed, would require a pregnant mother to view an ultrasound of her baby prior to a mandatory waiting period before she could kill her child.

Tom Corbett has promised that if this bill is passed and it comes to his desk, HE WILL SIGN IT.

Dan Onorato has promised that if this bill is passed and it comes to his desk, HE WILL NOT SIGN IT.

So here is your scenario -

Let's suppose that for the sake of argument the election is held tomorrow, and you hold the deciding vote.  Dan Onorato has 4,999,999 votes; Tom Corbett has 4,999,999 votes and there have been 100,000 votes cast for a write-in candidate. When you walk into the polling booth, how will you vote?

Now let's add one more "twist" to this scenario -
Let's also suppose that we are assured that next year the House and Senate will pass the Pre-Abortion Ultrasound Counseling Law and this bill will go to the desk of our next governor.  Again - how will you vote?

Finally, let's also suppose that if Tom Corbett is sitting in that chair and he signs it, that there will be a 17-year-old young lady named Ashley who will go for an abortion, but after viewing the ultrasound of her baby will change her mind and allow her baby - a little girl named Hannah - to live.  Again - the bill will be signed by Tom Corbett; it will NOT be signed by Dan Onorato.

I know there are a handful of people who - for whatever reason - want to "teach the Republican party a lesson" by working to defeat Tom Corbett.  If that is your position, I ask you to consider the very real impact that your vote could have on thousands of the most innocent lives - unborn children.  While this scenario is hypothetical, it is not-at-all out of the realm of likely possibilities.  And again, if your vote holds the power to decide - how will you vote?  Are you willing to "teach the Republican party a lesson" if doing so would cost one little girl her life?  How precious is life?

P.S. As I was writing today's blog, this little girl came into our office with her grandparents.  What a beautiful picture of the importance of voting for a pro-life governor 

4 Political & 1 Personal Updates

#1 - Krupa Withdraws:  I received an e-mail last night informing me that John Krupa would be withdrawing from his race for governor as the "Tea Party" candidate.  Despite the fact that Dan Onorato's machine was pushing hard to get him on the ballot in order to siphon votes away from Tom Corbett, Mr. Krupa did not have enough valid signatures. 

#2 - Corbett's Pro-Life Support:  This weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Latin Pride Weekend at the Scranton Festival on behalf of Tom Corbett.  What I found to be so encouraging was the large number of people wearing both Pro-Life stickers and Tom Corbett stickers.  I had the chance to talk with many of the leaders of the pro-life movement here in Scranton and was so encouraged by their strong support of Tom Corbett.

#3 - Corbett's Coattails - The Illinois Review says that Corbett is doing so well that he should not only win, but he will help other conservative candidates as well.  They write:

Added to that Republican Gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett is leading his Democrat challenger handily and this could be a good year for Pennsylvania.  Republican Pick-up

#4 - The GOP now has 20 "Victory Centers" up and running across the state.  If you'd like to volunteer your time to help promote Republican candidates, call 717-234-4901 and ask to be put in touch with a center near you.  We are looking for volunteers to help out in a number of different areas.  If you've ever been frustrated with the direction our country is heading and said to yourself, "what can I do?" this could be an answer to your question. 

#5 - Last, but NOT least...15 years ago today, I became a dad for the first time.  As much as I love politics, it pales in comparison to the joy of being a father.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES! 

No Tea in this Tavern...

The Democrat's attempted hijacking of the Tea-Party continues.  For our next exhibit, I give to you Clinton County Tavern Owner, John Krupa.  In the past few months, Krupa has been a Republican, then a Constitutional Party Candidate, then a "no party affiliation" guy and now he is a self-declared "Tea Party Candidate" (despite the fact that there is no official party called the "Tea Party").  Most recently Mr. Krupa submitted paperwork to run for governor under a "tea party" label, despite the fact that most Tea-Party Leaders have never even heard of the guy.  Diana Reimer, state coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots, an organization of more than 2,600 groups nationally, said that she has absolutely no idea who this guy is, and that he is "representing himself as something he is not".  Yesterday, The Pittsburgh Tribune Review said the following:

Among those who gathered signatures [for John Krupa] are officers of building trades unions, whose statewide organization unanimously endorsed Onorato on June 9 — including several officers from a Pittsburgh union hall where Onorato announced his candidacy and celebrated his primary victory.  Another Krupa petition circulator, Heather Damron of Lehigh County, was paid $1,000 by Onorato's campaign for his petition drive four months earlier.

In other words - Onorato's cronies are doing all the legwork to put a "tea-party" candidate on the ballot in order to take votes away from Corbett.  

In their Opinion Section of this morning's paper, the editors of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review had the following piece.  I will cut and paste the entire thing, simply because it is so good.   After reading this, I think you'll agree:  you won't find any tea in the John Krupa Tavern. 

Pittsburgh Tribune Review, August 11, 2010

Dan Onorato must think Pennsylvania voters were born last night. Why else would his failing gubernatorial campaign deny culpability in a political stunt as old as the hills?
Mr. Onorato, the Allegheny County chief executive, is the Democrats' nominee for governor in the Nov. 2 election. He faces Republican nominee Tom Corbett, the state's attorney general. Onorato is trailing badly in the polls.
But surprise, surprise, there's now a third-party candidate on the fall ballot. John Krupa of Clinton County, a member of the Constitution Party who's aligned with the tea party movement. His candidacy could siphon votes from Mr. Corbett.
And a review of Mr. Krupa's nominating petitions, filed last week, shows that it's members of labor unions that have endorsed Onorato -- and even one of Onorato's campaign workers -- behind the petitions.
Smell a political rat? Or should we say an OnoRATo?
It's a laugh a minute to hear the union operatives stumble all over themselves when confronted. But it's a major knee-slapper to hear Onorato spokesman Brian Herman attempt to rationalize the nexus.
Dan Onorato would do anything to be elected governor of Pennsylvania. That means he'd do anything as governor. And that's the kind of governor this commonwealth cannot afford.

What's possible when we unite...

For that reason, some analysts have expressed puzzlement that Corbett has appeared to shift to the right during his campaign.  As attorney general, he filed suit over the winter to block the new national health-care law. Just last month, he joined in court action supporting Arizona's tough new immigration law.  - "The Philadelphia Inquirer" - posted a few hours ago. 

When I first announced my decision to support Tom Corbett, a handful of people warned me to not do it.  "True, Tom Corbett may have been running as a conservative for the past few months", they argued, "but now that the primary is over, he is going to show his true-colors!"


If Tom Corbett is indeed showing his "true-colors", I could not be more pleased with my decision.  I have heard "Post-Primary" Tom Corbett remind voters again and again of his pledge to NOT raise taxes.  He continues to remain rock-solid in his commitment to protect the unborn as a pro-life governor.  He has been unwaivering in his fight to clean up corruption, to oppose Obama's healthcare bill and to dramatically reduce spending in Harrisburg.  And as referenced above, just last month (after the primary) he "joined in a court action supporting Arizona's new immigration law".

This election is beginning to remind me of another recent election.  An Attorney General in a neighboring state was running for governor but was being challenged by a candidate named Steve Lonegan.  Lonegan was perceived as the "Tea Party Candidate" and the Attorney General was accused of being the "establishment" candidate.  However, the Attorney General won and is quickly becoming one of my favorite political figures.  Imagine if the voters of NJ had not united behind their 2009 Gubernatorial Nominee...a so-called "establishment" Republican by the name of Chris Christie.


If NJ can get it right, CERTAINLY Pennsylvania can! 

And for my friend Wayne:  Be sure to read tomorrow's blog for more examples of "Fake Tea Party Candidates". 

How to Hijack a Tea Party

A few weeks ago, my daughter went to a tea-party.  Now I'm not talking about a flag-waiving, country-saving, liberals-call-me-a-racist kind of tea-party.  I'm talking about a real-live, old fashioned, break-out-the-fine-china kind of tea-party.  It was her 10th birthday, and "Nana" found some old hats, made some little pastries and let a room full of girls invade her dining room.  Despite a couple of spills on the carpet, the girls seemed to have a great time.  I even found an old tuxedo vest in my closet and I doubled as both the chauffeur and the maitre d' for the evening. We had a blast! 

Now imagine my response if halfway through the party, some girl who had never even bothered to speak to my daughter just showed up - uninvited - and declared that this was now "her party".  What if  this neighborhood Nelly Olson simply waltzed in, grabbed a piece of cake and thanked the girls for coming to "her tea party".  How should I respond?  How would YOU respond? 
WARNING:  If you are active in the political movement known as the tea-party, THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU. 
It is a clever scheme by a party that realizes it is about to be destroyed in the midterm elections and here is how it works:  In New Jersey, Michigan, Florida and Pennsylvania, liberal activists have been seeking candidates who are interested in running for office.  These well-intentioned, but extremely naive candidates are told to run on a "Tea Party" ticket.  Yes - you heard me right...the "Tea Party Ticket".  The liberal activists then do the legwork necessary to get the nominee on the ballot for the November election.  Why would the liberals want a so-called "Tea Party Candidate" on the ballot?  One reason:  to take votes AWAY from the Republican.  I guess you could say that Chicago-style politics has now come to Pennsylvania.  Don't be fooled!  This type of trickery should be a wake-up call to unite, to focus and to get out there and get to work for the cause of Liberty!
For more information on the 2010 Tea-Party-Crashing Scheme, click here.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner...

Ed Rendell is on a statewide "tax-'em more bus-tour" to push his tax and spend liberal agenda.  His latest growth-killing proposal is to tax the gross profits on oil companies to raise "up to" $900 million dollars.  The legislature is rightly opposed to this measure, saying the taxes would simply be passed on to consumers (i.e. you and me) through higher prices at the pump (around 10 cents a gallon increase).  His other option for feeding his tax-and-spend appetite is to increase taxes by 3-4 cents a gallon, increase fees for drivers' licenses, increase the cost of registration, increase (blah, blah, blah...)
Is it just me, or does anyone else think we should get back to that old-fashioned, time tested method of making budget and spurring growth:  CUT SPENDING!  There is more than enough waste to go around in Harrisburg, and groups like the Commonwealth Foundation have already identified more than $4.13 Billion dollars worth of waste that could be cut  Even if the governor thinks that the Commonwealth Foundation's proposals go too far, he could always start by accepting the proposals set forth by a bipartisan State Senate commission that identified $400 Million in waste that should be cut.  If a bunch of democrat and republican politicians agree on waste that could be cut, you KNOW there's a lot out there.  The governor has been on a personal diet recently, and should be congratulated for his 40 lb. weight loss.  It's too bad he doesn't see the need to trim the fat from his spending habits as well.  But, if you like killing our economy with taxes and spending, then continue the madness and vote for Dan OnoRENDELLo in November.  He has already mismanaged the budget of Allegheny County, creating a $30,000,000.00 deficit for 2011!
Tom Corbett has signed the "no new tax pledge" and Dan OnoRendello is the hand-picked, deficit creating choice of Ed Rendell.  Any question as to why we need to unite in our support for Tom Corbett?  For a complete schedule of where Governor Rendell will be on his "tax-'em more bus-tour", click here.

Also coming to town...

The Pennsylvania Family Institute has just announced that individual tickets are now available for purchase for their "Friends of the Family" Banquet on August 27.  Tickets are a bit higher than I would normally pay for a meal, but the proceeds go to an incredible organization.  My wife's birthday is August 28, so August 27 is the last day that I'll be married to a woman in her 30's.  Maybe Jill and I will head to Hershey and celebrate with Sarah!  Sound like a plan?  You Betcha!

...and the nominees are

For those who may be considering voting Libertarian this year, your nominee for governor is in, and the winner is...(drum-roll please)...the Green Party's 2004 nominee for Attorney General, Marakay Rogers!   

According to the website greenpartywatch.org, "In 2004, Marakay Rogers was the Green Party candidate for Attorney General in Pennsylvania. She won 70,624 votes (1.3%) in a 3 way race".  Now she is running for governor as a Libertarian.  In her most recent FB posting (May 6, 2010), she took a shot at the highest ranking lawmaker on Pennsylvania's Liberty Index Rating, Daryl Metcalfe, saying: 

"State Rep. Daryl Metcalf (sic) has introduced legislation virtually identical to Arizona's horrendous anti-Hispanic immigration legislation. Once again, bad facts, bad ideas, and bad legislators make bad law. Contact your state representative and demand that the state protect Pennsylvania residents' personal privacy rights."

 

Along with her platform of opposition to the death penalty and the legalization of marijuana, she proudly serves on the Executive Committee of the Outright Libertarians - "an association of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other self-identified "queer" (LGBTQ) Libertarian Party activists and supporters...who wishes to actively promote Libertarianism to all those who love differently".  

 

What a stark contrast to her Republican opponent, Tom Corbett, who states (in writing) that he "supports the Pennsylvania Marriage Protection Amendment and believes marriage is a sacred bond between a man, a woman and God".  

For those who believe there is no major difference between the two leading candidates, contrast Tom Cobett's views of marriage with the views of Marakay Rogers and with the  completed questionnaire that Dan Onorato submitted to the Stonewall Democrats - a group that self-identifies as "the national voice of LGBT Democrats".  It's no wonder that Tom Corbett maintains a double-digit lead (50% to 39%) over his democratic opponent in the most recent Rasmussen Report Poll. 

So what's next?

I have recently taken a position in the Tom Corbett for Governor campaign as the Director of Conservative Outreach. I believe that this upcoming gubernatorial election is too important and we must unite as a party, or we will get Ed Rendell 2.0.The advancement of a conservative agenda (i.e. pro-life, less taxes, less spending, pro-marriage, school choice etc.) will be far greater under a Corbett administration than under an Onorato administration.  I believe that we are at a critical crossroads in our Commonwealth and we must unite in victory or we'll be defeated in disunity. In short:  we are in danger!  When a group of people are in danger, they can signal for help by sending out a "Mayday" signal.  According to that purveyor of knowledge (Wikipedia) "Mayday is an emergency code word used internationally as a distress signal. It derives from the French venez m'aider, meaning 'come help me'.  So this is my blog.  It will be an insider's view of a gubernatorial campaign, but it is also my rallying cry for conservatism.  Check back daily for updates and join me in this fight.  

Venez m'aider ("Mayday") - come help me!