Grassrootspa.com breaks the news today that Harrisburg activist Gene Stilp is calling upon partisan Republican Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett to step down from his post as Attorney General because of the danger of politicizing his bonusgate investigation:“Tom Corbett can not serve two masters and be credible. 1000 days is a reasonable line in the sand. Now that he is running for governor he must leave the Attorney General post. He can’t do both without jeopardizing the non-political character any investigation should maintain. If he doesn’t step down maybe we should call it Corbettgate...All doubt must be removed from the mind of the voter that the investigation is political. As long as Tom Corbett is the Attorney General while he is running for governor a cloud of suspicion hangs over his campaign as to his motives for indicting or not indicting certain individuals.”
We only disagree with Stilp on one point...Corbett has already bastardized this investigation. That train left the station a long time ago.
18 comments:
That reminds me, here is what CasablancaPA had to say about Gene Stilp on July 16, 2009, in a post called "Complaints Department":
"Gadfly Gene Stilp has wasted no time leaping into the spotlight now glaring on Senate Minority Leader Bob Mellow, who is accused of enriching himself at taxpayer expense.
"Stilp, a failed lawyer and legislative aide, has made something of a career of picking at the wounds of scandalized lawmakers. In fact, thanks to Stilp's enthusiasm not only for filing ethics complaints, but for making a public spectacle of doing so, Pennsylvanians may now be treated to an endless parade of political candidates filing baseless ethics complaints against their opponents, then rolling out negative ads based on those complaints.
"It probably never occurred to him there actually was a sound reason for the ban on publicizing complaints.
"But we digress. If Stilp really is offended by ethical lapses by public officials, and not just addicted to the publicity that goes with complaining about them, he should be interested in an apparently serious ethical violation on the part of lawyers for the Office of Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Corbett."
Back to me: Why do you call Stilp a "gadfly" and a "failed lawyer and legislative aid" in July, then tout him as an insightful guru in October?
Lincoln Institute hosted a panel on polling in Pennsylvania. One of pollsters was Dr. Bryon Allen of Wilson Research and a very smart guy. Wilson and Allen are pollsters for Jim Gerlach and I asked him whether AG Corbett's indicting of 'small fish" failure to indict any incumbent and failure to indict any Republican and the fact that the "investigation is ongoing" for 2 and half years, 1000 days, would be a negative. He was very circumspect but my sense was that the Gerlach campaign had polled and this was not a positive for the chief law enforcement officer in Penna. You can watch on PCN and see if you conclude what I concluded.
It is also seems clear that Sam Rohrer will announce shortly. Polling shows that property tax is hot issue in Penna ( although not in SE from my own observation ) and Sam Rohrer is identified with that issue. All Conservative Reformers and many of The Forgotten Taxpayers and likely the TEA Party people and 912 people will vote for Sam pulling from Corbett, in my view. Despite some glitches in his voting record which he recognizes as mistakes, and which, because it is Sam, will be forgiven, Sam is a real threat, particularly, to Corbett and the Hacks.
Corbett won in 2008 despite Democratic sweep and Hacks have interpreted as sign of Corbett's appeal. It could well have been that Corbett was able to fool enough of the people enough of the time to think he was real law and order candidate. In fact, as the Bonusgate record demonstrates, he is incompetent to be polite but, in my opinion, disgracefully partisan and a threat to the Rule of Law.
Republicans can only win if they convince the electorate that they are authentic and not more of the same. Corbett cannot do that. Pat Toomey can and Sam Rohrer can, truly, be considered not of the Establishment. It may not be enough but it is necessary to have credibility. Corbett has ruined the Republican brand on even "law and order" as the Big Government Republicans ruined the brand on Debt, Deficits, Spending, Pork and Earmarks.
In short, Corbett is not credible, just another hack politician. and a very unexciting and inarticulate hack who knows little about budgets and economics.
dumalm"Anonymous said...That reminds me, here is what CasablancaPA had to say about Gene Stilp on July 16, 2009, in a post called "Complaints Department":.....Back to me: Why do you call Stilp a "gadfly" and a "failed lawyer and legislative aid" in July, then tout him as an insightful guru in October? October 6, 2009 6:31 PM"
I will answer it and I am not Team Casa. It is called changing one mind; it is a right in America.
It often happens especially when the media becomes involved or ignored.
For Example, Geronimo the Indian Terrorist of his time was hated by the Press and hunted by the US Army for killing, brutalizing, and maiming settlers in Arizona.
After captured, and serving his life out on reservations mostly in Florida, he was later praised for standing up for his people and all of a sudden became a Freedom Fighter and admired by the same people that once hated him.
This is a great example of how people are fickle.
During President Teddy Roosevelt's Inauguration Parade, Geronimo was asked to lead the parade where he was cheered at every block.
In this tradition, Team Casa may actually be doing a service that actually changed Gene Stlip mind on the OAG Investigations.
In my opinion, Gene Stlip lives as a critic do nothing wanting to be a Rush Limbaugh, but refuses to run for election and win.
So, he can be called a gadfly most of the time, like flies eating manure and buzzing around telling everyone how much he knows if there is media light, radio broadcast, or news reporter nearby for ink.
Yet, it is our Legislators in the arena that actually do something, put their reputations on the line, have themselves and their families subject to daily ridicule, and sometime rise to high and fall to far on issues, practices, and thoughts exploited every minute of their day in the fish bowl of public opinion.
Sometimes they go awry like Fumo. Even when Fumo was blessed with personal wealth he inherited and earned on his position as being a senator, but crossed the lines of decency by choosing selfishness and manipulation of state employees and monies as well as misusing a Non-Profit whereby he now sits in Prison in Kentucky.
Changing one's mind and joining a cause is not just a right in America, it is maybe the finest expression of maturity, growth, and tolerance towards education more than ignorance.
If Gene Stlip is, allow to do it on a daily basis so is Team Casa and all of us that post here.
Moreover, I disagree with both of them on this particular post and they still publish my blog comments.
So be it, and God Bless Them both, and it may be me that is shortsighted and needs to learn more before I change I my own mind.
Then again maybe not.
We shall see!
Watch Out New York City Mayor Bloomberg Is Using City Property And City Employees On His Private Gun Control Operations, Is This Not Illegal and What Mayors In Pennsylvania Are Doing It With Him?
The Mayor vs. The People
by JAMES O.E. NORELL, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Following U.S. Senate action temporarily halting progress on an amendment to create national Right-to-Carry reciprocity.
The Post was right about Bloomberg--the 17th richest man in the world--but fell short about the people whose freedom Bloomberg has chosen to attack. His target goes way beyond the membership of the NRA to the majority of American voters, who share the deep-seated principles protected by the NRA.
“Gun control” is morphing into a fight between the billionaire mayor of New York City who bought and paid for his own election with $150 million in pocket money--and a majority of the American people, not just the members of the NRA
Now back to The Washington Post story--the inside take on Bloomberg’s “gun control” operation complete with a “war room” run out of city offices, using city officials; coordinating with mayors of 451 taxpayer-run municipalities across the nation; and with big-time Washington lobbyists. The Post called it a “gymnastic lobbying effort, juiced by Bloomberg’s wealth …”.
The Post built its story around the back-room political machine built by Bloomberg for the long-haul attack on the Second Amendment. The emphasis of the story was on Bloomberg’s slim two-vote margin to stop enactment of the concealed-carry reciprocity amendment introduced by U.S. Senators John Thune of South Dakota and David Vitter of Louisiana.
The Post found brilliance in the strategy of Bloomberg’s mercenary lobbyists and public relations hired-guns to couch the concealed-carry debate in terms of trampling “states’ rights.” Coming from Bloomberg, who demands draconian universal bans and works to drive out of business gun dealers across the nation through lawsuits or threats of suits filed in Brooklyn, N.Y., federal court, legislators must have been choking back laughter.
According to The Washington Post, a key to Bloomberg’s strategy was: “They sought to position themselves as believers in the Second Amendment.”
The Senate battle opposing Right-to-Carry reciprocity was a Bloomberg operation from the get-go, according to the Post. Combine all of the media hype, Bloomberg’s personal funds, questionable use of taxpayer resources for his personal gun-ban machine, and the best they could produce was 39 votes.
The final vote, 39 for Bloomberg and 58 for gun owners, isn’t the big victory over which the gun ban crowd and the media are chest-beating. The only reason the Thune-Vitter amendment didn’t pass was because it needed 60 votes--to overcome a filibuster by Bloomberg’s partner, New York Senator Chuck Schumer. Had this been a normal majority vote, Bloomberg and the media would be whining about the power of the gun lobby.
For Bloomberg, everything boils down to money--mostly his money. In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” host David Gregory announced Bloomberg has personally spent $2.9 million for his gun-ban lobby, and asked:
“Will you personally put more money in?” To which Bloomberg bragged:
“Oh, I’m going to not only do that myself, I’m going to ask plenty of other people to do it. If you want to beat the NRA … it costs money to do that. And that’s all we’re trying to do.”
Who are these “other people?” Billionaires like real estate magnate Eli Broad--who The Washington Post reported ponied up $750,000; and try the Joyce Foundation--which funds the Violence Policy Center’s radical agenda. It kicked in $1.1 million to Bloomberg’s machine.
This is billionaires versus the people. The power of personal and foundation wealth versus freedom.
That’s what this is all about; and it will define the future battles over the exercise of the Second Amendment.
Posted: 10/1/2009 11:18:02 AM
LINK:
http://www.nraila.org/Issues/Articles/Read.aspx?id=378&issue=011
Bob, "...in all the gin joints in all the world, she had to walk into mine." Listen. Rohrer is a stalking horse for CorBETT. (the caps in honor of all the gaming money CorBETT has taken) I digress. Corbett dominates the West. Believe it or not, relative the R primary electorate, there are a lot of Republicans in Allegheny County and the Southwest at large. CorBETT's people are deathly afraid that Gerlach will dominate them east of the Susquehanna, and cut into them ever so slightly in the West due to Gerlach's Lawrence County roots. Rohrer's politics are irrelevant as no one will ever know anything about him except that he is from BERKS county. Bob, you are smart, don't be suckered by this obvious ploy. Tip O'Neil would be proud of Brian Nutt. I know I admire the move.
in all the intelligent designs in all the capitals of the world.. did you ever stop to think that perhaps the STALKING HORSE is a
stalking horse
maybe he never intends to finish the course...he might be fighting the good fight by keeping the playing field level for one whose shoelaces he is unworthy to latch
Pennsylvania needs to return to GOD and I pray that the voters, Democrats as well as Republicans will seek forgiveness and return to morality and right before it is too late.
It all begins in being kind, fair, and understanding among us all.
If all the Caucuses had a warning to be careful how they conduct state business from campaign business, it would be one thing.
However, to scoops a few then go after the many ad take months to years to do it, is just outright wrong.
If there was wrong doing why not stop it and convict it in months not years?
This is leaves open the allegations it is political for political ambitions, not fair justice.
Should others be indicted just to placate rumors and try to prove it is not political is even more wrong in every sense of justice.
Harrisburg, We Have A Problem, But Nothing We Cannot Clear up Working Together.
Fumo is gone, he was the major problem, even when he come sout of jail he needs to be banish to another state to live out his life Al Capone did in Florida.
Harrisburg is so better off without him. Team Casa is not Fumo Minions! They too may not be able to return, but they do not deserve Prison.
Just saw this on Penn Live!
Pennsylvania Budget Crisis:
By The Patriot-News
October 08, 2009, 5:00AM
100 Reasons It Has Lasted 100 Days!
BRING Back DEWEESE !
4-5. House Democratic Leaders. In their first budget season, Keith McCall and Todd Eachus didn’t show the strength to pass anything close to Rendell’s agenda.
BRING Back DEWEESE !!
89-92. Fumo. Jubelirer, Brightbill, Veon, The old guard of legislative leaders couldn’t keep the loyalty of voters, but they could always deliver a deal when it was crunch time. Where are you when we need you?
BRING Back DEWEESE !!!
Bring back Veon
"Anonymous said...Bring back Veon
October 8, 2009 6:30 PM"
When this is all over, it is my opinion, no matter what happens to Mike Veon, and many of us care about him, because of his stellar character to stand up to the Democratic Agenda.
Mike Veon unlike Fumo still has the respect of many legislators both Republicans and Democrats, as well as my own.
I never knew him as close as others, but I can see the respect he holds when other talk about him.
Mistakes may have happen and changes have been implemented, but some people still stand together.
LET’S TALK COMMON CENTS FOR BUDGET DOLLARS FOR THE FUTURE:
TEN COMMANDMENTS TO NEW BUDGET REVENUES
1. BIG TOBACCO-Has The Money And Moral Duty To Help Add Taxes On Cigar, Pipe, Snuff, And Cigarettes That Dates Back To The 1700 When The Crown Discover They Caused Illness So Past Sin Taxes To Help Stop The Spread Of Disease And Ill Health. Taxing It More Every Few Years Is Noble Not A Sin.
2. BIG FOODS-The Food Companies And Beverage Companies Should Be Taxed On Sugar, Corn Related, And High Carb Products That Are Causing Obesity And Making More People Unhealthy As They Consume Them. Taxing Them Can Raise Money For Health Coverage And Do It Before The Congress Does It.
3. MARCELLUS SHALE GAS RESERVES-What A Way To Add Some Fees And Taxes That Consumer Will Pay For More Than Any Company Will. Once Again, Those That Smoke, Drink Kool-Aid, Eat Fast Foods, And Buy Natural Gas Pay A Tiny Sum Of Cents That Amount To Big Dollars In The End And No One Can Leave The State Over It
4 TABLE GAMES-Lets See Casino Want Table Games And Lawmakers Want Fees, Taxes And Jobs For Them, Where Is The Insanity To Hold This Up. Oh, The Republican Counties Live Off The Few Democratic Counties That Support The Lottery, Gaming And Charity Games, So Tax The Citizens Of Republicans Counties That Make The Lottery Lose Money By Not Betting Or Let The Democratic Counties Tax What Their Citizen’s Support For The Entire Commonwealth.
5 PREPAID LOTTERY FUNDS-Set Up Accounts At Casinos That Permit People To Prepay Their Lottery Numbers That The State Will Check On And Credit The Accounts As They Win And Those Monies Can Be Used For EZ Pass, Personal Withdraw, Invest In PA College Fund, And Charge A Fee For Doing All This, Watch How Many Will Put Their Money In Them That The State Can Collect Interest On And Grow As They Win Or Put More Money Into Them.
6. SLOT MACHINES FOR BARS AND INNS & GAMES OF CHANCE FOR CHARITY-In Nevada 5 Slot Machines in One Bar Nets $200,000 Per Bar And Much For State Revenues. Why Are We Waiting For Such Legislations As We Seek More Funding? Lets See We Want Charities To Prosper And Have A Fruitful Way To Raise Money Now That They Must Compete With Casinos But Just Asking A Tiny Portion Is Unfaithful, Even Jacob Gave 10% To God As Promised!
7. JUNK MAIL-Is Anybody Going To Be Upset Junk Mail Being Taxed And Will Any Company Leave The State Over Such A Tax?
8. GREEN JOBS BY GREEN TAX DEDUCTIONS-Want To Create Green Jobs, Give Out Tax Deductions That Pay For Solar Roofs, Tank Less Hot Water Heaters, Home Water Recycle Systems, Rain Water Collection System, Green Hanging Garden Parking Garages, Green Roofs, Water Hybrid Cars, Home Windmills And Watch How Many Fix There Homes, Reduce Cost Of Energy And Companies Come Here To Employ People To Change To Alternative Energy Solutions.
9. SPORTS TICKETS-Taxing College And Pro Game Tickets And Give Some Of Proceeds To Museum And Arts Is Not Just Practical But Noble. Fans Will Not Notice Them If They Are Called Fees.
10. MEDICAL SAVING ACCOUNTS DEDUCTIONS OPTION-Many people will opt into saving their own money for their health care if they can take a dollar-to-dollar deduction from state taxes. What a new way to help augment universal health reform?
Heidi Fless
ANOTHER PROSECUTOR SEEKING HIGHER OFFICE OFF OF PROSECUTIONS OF OTHER PEOPLE NOT ON MERIT
Buchanan eyes taking on Altmire
Bush-appointed U.S. attorney weighs chances against Democrat
Friday, October 09, 2009
By Daniel Malloy
Paula Reed Ward,
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan is pondering a run for Congress to challenge Democrat Rep. Jason Altmire next fall.
Ms. Buchanan, a Republican and appointee of former President George W. Bush, has been considering a run for at least a month, Allegheny County Republican Party Chairman Jim Roddey said yesterday.
She did not return several messages left seeking comment. Ms. Buchanan is in Washington, D.C., this week.
Mr. Roddey said he has met with her, and Ms. Buchanan is consulting with state and national Republican leaders to gauge support and her chances against the second-term Democrat from McCandless.
Mr. Roddey put the chances of a Buchanan candidacy in Pennsylvania's fourth district at 50-50.
"She's in the exploratory phase right now," Mr. Roddey said. "It will take at least a million dollars to run, so that's a big consideration."
The county GOP leader said he did not see any ethical qualms with exploring a run while sitting as the chief federal prosecutor for Western Pennsylvania, and said Ms. Buchanan should step down only if she announces her candidacy.
Mr. Altmire, who said he has heard Ms. Buchanan's name mentioned as a possible opponent, disagreed.
"She's in a position that's supposed to be nonpolitical," Mr. Altmire said. "If that's true, I think it would be an inappropriate use of her time."
But University of Pittsburgh law and ethics professor John Burkoff disagreed with Mr. Altmire.
"There's not a problem with contemplating a run for office, generally," he said.
However, Ms. Buchanan will have to be careful to avoid any potential conflicts of interest that could arise around the political race.
Ms. Buchanan, 46, of Fox Chapel, was appointed as U.S. attorney in September 2001.
She remains in the office nearly a year after President Barack Obama was elected.
Senators Bob Casey and Arlen Specter, D-Pennsylvania, appointed a committee to interview candidates for the U.S. attorney position in July.
Recommendations have been made to them, and it is believed that an announcement on a nominee is expected in the near future.
Ms. Buchanan has been a polarizing figure during her eight-year tenure. She has been criticized for bringing politically motivated criminal cases, including the unsuccessful prosecution of former Allegheny County Coroner Dr. Cyril H. Wecht.
Her ties to Mr. Bush will be used against her in a potential campaign, Mr. Roddey said, in a similar manner to Mr. Altmire's attacks on former Rep. Melissa Hart -- whom he unseated in 2006 and defeated again in '08.
"That was certainly effective, and whether or not that remains effective I don't know," Mr. Roddey said of the Bush attacks.
"[Ms. Buchanan has] certainly got the name recognition, and I think a woman could do well in that district. And she's a fresh face. ... It's generally a conservative area.
A lot of them are now concerned that Obama may be a little too liberal for them. You never know. It's still a long way to go, but I know she would be a viable candidate."
Tory Mazzola, of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said that the organization is trying to recruit candidates to run against Mr. Altmire. So far, the only declared opponent is little-known Pittsburgh attorney Keith Rothfus.
Mr. Mazzola said it is too early to say if the organization would commit a lot of money to the cause. Asked whether Mr. Altmire is vulnerable, Mr. Mazzola said, "We're hopeful.
"The reason we're hopeful is Altmire's voting record is in line almost lockstep with [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi. And that alone is troubling for him in his district."
According to the Washington Post's Congressional vote tracking database, Mr. Altmire has voted with his party 88.5 percent of the time -- one of the lowest rates in the Democratic caucus.
Mr. Altmire voted against the "cap-and-trade" climate bill that passed the House and voted against the health-care bill in the Education and Labor Committee.
A member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democratic caucus, he has cast himself as a centrist in a district that includes many rural areas, in addition to suburbs, north and west of Pittsburgh.
Mr. Altmire won his race by nearly 12 percentage points last fall, while Republican John McCain won 55 percent of the presidential vote in the district.
Pennsylvania House Republican Whip Mike Turzai, of Bradford Woods, had been mentioned as a possible big-name foe for Mr. Altmire, but Mr. Roddey said yesterday he is convinced Mr. Turzai will not run.
"I think his goal is to try to work to take control of the House so that he can be majority leader."
If a tree falls in the CasablancaPA forest, does anybody hear it?????
If Mary Beth Buchanan is considering running for Congress, the Polls must be showing it is going to be a Big Republican Year.
Corbett will be hard to stop.
I love it! Mary Beth Buchanan thinking about running for Congress...while sitting as the U.S. Attorney!
Perhaps she has never heard of the Hatch Act. The law prohibits federal employees from running for office. In fact, the law states that ANY ACT in furtherance of a campaign is enough to require resigning. From these articles, sounds pretty clear these discussions have been serious enough to fall into any act in furtherance of...
I guess only the Dems that she and her old boss Tom Corbett prosecutes for political purposes are subject to campaign-related laws. You gotta love the hypocrisy!
Oh, and for the record, Mr. Meehan resigned well in advance of his taking any serious considerations. If he could do it right, why couldn't Mary Beth? The model for how it should be done was laid out for her by one of her own peers.
Don't worry two words will stop Mary Beth Candidacy, CYRIL WECHT!
After all, it is Halloween and Skeletons are in every one closet, including Mary Beth, Patron to George Bush Sainthood.
Big Tobacco Lawyer!
Basil Zakroff
I can see the superb evisceration of the Democrats.
I, too, have indelible memories of the risky, ecstatic mysticism of the late 1990s trivialized by younger baby boomers that turned hallucinogens into party drugs and often wonder where that mystery depth dimension went?
But there is a sense in which that spirituality was only another affluence-subsidized consumer good, the Davy Crockett coonskin cap of our adolescence, so to speak.
And I'm afraid what our generation meant by "freedom" turned out to be little more than the freedom from responsibility and commitment and the freedom to get it on.
Adolescent demands attention and these defendants did spend state money on state time for political purposes and deserve prosecutions.
That's not all fair, I realize.
Breaking out of rigidified, oppressive notions about one caucus, two elected officials in Veon and Ramley, High Staffers sleeping with Low Employees, and the nature of deceit in pursiut of political power, was a true and very Pennsylvanian liberation.
Too bad those insights have now rigidified into new pieties that are as codified, unimaginative and oppressive as those they overthrew.
New leaders will come after these public serpents are no longer public servants ban forever in the future.
Veon Venom like Fumo’s Folly must come to a true end, along with Ramley’s Ramble!
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