Tag Archive for ‘Pennsylvania’

Romney Campaign Rally in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Last night 30,000 people gathered at Shadybrook Farm in Bucks County, PA for a Romney/Ryan rally. Despite the chilly temperature people patiently waited several hours for Mitt and Ann to arrive.

As I walked around the staging area, the feeling of the crowd was that of organic upbeat enthusiasm. People seemed hopeful and looking forward to election day. Presidential rallies are a quintessential American experience, something everyone should attend regardless of your political affiliation. Due to a tight marathon training schedule, the Romney rally was the only one I was able to attend this year and I was not disappointed by the show.

The dense crowd made photography a challenge and I glanced enviously numerous times at the photojournalists milling around their reserved media stand. One day, my friends, I’ll be on that stand. Mitt and Ann arrived to the Rocky Theme and the crowd when wild. I was able to capture video of Ann’s introduction of her husband, Mitt Romney.

When Mitt spoke, the energy of the crowd was electric despite the hours of standing and the cold temperature. Mitt was interrupted numerous times with chants of ‘Two more days’ and ‘USA, USA’. He gave a solid speech and soon it was time for my favorite part…

Fireworks!! I can never get enough of fireworks. What a great way to end a campaign rally.

What was your favorite rally the election season? Let me know in the comment section.

Posted on November 05, 2012 :: Categories: 2012 Presidential Election, Pennsylvania :: Tags: 2012 Presidential Election, Pennsylvania, Republican
1,307 views :: 2 Comments

Who Says Political Elections Can’t Be Fun?

David Axelrod has promised to shave his well known mustache if any one of three specified states do not go for Obama on Tuesday. I love this idea! What a fun way to bring some levity to the serious business of presidential elections. We need more of this and less heated rhetoric during election season.

Three states in the wager are:

Minnesota
Michigan
Pennsylvania

November 4 – Michigan is showing a tie between Romney and Obama.
November 4: Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has the candidates tied at 47%
November 3: Minnesota – It is a toss up.

It’s anyone’s game at this point, and we will know in two short days if Axelrod will be parting with his long-time mustache.

Posted on November 04, 2012 :: Categories: 2012 Presidential Election, Entertainment :: Tags: 2012 Presidential Election, Pennsylvania
1,120 views :: 1 Comment

Rebuild America Bus Tour Rolls into Altoona, PA

H/T Marathon Pundit.

Rebuild America bus tour is holding a rally this Friday, November 2nd (voting day for some of you) in Altoona, PA. This organization has identified 5 swing states that it plans to focus its energy – Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa. They believe that winning 3 of the 5 states is key for a Romney/Ryan victory and to that end have planned rallies in each of these states.

The Pennsylvania rally details are below. If you have time go check out the rally and don’t forget to take photos!

Date/Time:
Friday, November 2nd
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Rally Location:
Bavarian Hall
1509 13th St
Altoona, PA 16601

Pennsylvania is showing signs of breaking from the tradition of electing the Democrat Presidential candidate this year. Although nothing in politics is certain until election day, polling data is beginning to show a trend towards both the Romney/Ryan ticket and Republican Senate candidate, Tom Smith. Rasmussen is now reporting the US Senate race in PA is essentially a tie. While I am hesitant to call both of these races in Pennsylvania, this election will go one of two ways in PA: Tom Smith and Mitt Romney win PA or Casey JR and Obama will take PA. This election comes down to a numbers game in Pennsylvania as there are more registered democrats than republicans. The outcome of the election depends upon which party can get more people to the polls. For Romney and Smith to have a credible chance to win in Pennsylvania two things need to happen – Republicans need a strong GOTV drive in the suburban counties especially around Philadelphia combined with a sluggish, dispirited Democrat voter turnout in both Allegheny and Philadelphia counties.

And that is my two cents on the election predictions. What are your thoughts on the PA presidential and senate race?

Posted on October 28, 2012 :: Categories: Democrat, Election, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Republican :: Tags: 2012 Presidential Election, Mitt Romney, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Tom Smith
969 views :: 2 Comments

It Must Be Election Season

Fall is heating up and I’m not talking about foliage.

An October surprise? Gallop is reporting that among 2012 Presidential election voters, Romney is gaining with 52% of the vote over Obama’s 45%. This is not surprising considering the three strong debates from the Romney/Ryan ticket over the past couple of weeks. The public had the chance to evaluate both Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan without the filter of the main stream media and numerous polls reflect their impression. In addition, the devastating debate performances by both Obama and Biden helped clarify the differences between the two teams. This change in polling is not unexpected.

In Pennsylvania, Susquehanna Polling and Research released the results of its polling data showing Romney taking the lead in Pennsylvania. The same polling report also shows Republican Senate Candidate Tom Smith, with two point lead over his rival, incumbent Democrat Senator Bob Casey, Jr. Some Philly politicos have been breaking out the champagne over this poll result. I remain cautiously optimistic at this point, as it is only data from one poll. I will look for more polling data to see if this was simply an outlier poll or the beginning of a trend. Real Clear Politics labels the presidential race in Pennsylvania as a ‘Toss Up’. I agree with this assessment and don’t have enough data to comfortably make a general prediction at this time.

Let me know your thoughts on the national presidential race and/or the Pennsylvania Senate race.

UPDATES GALORE:

Dick Morris proclaims ‘Pennsylvania is the new Ohio‘. It is possible to lose Ohio if you carry Pennsylvania and still win. Pennsylvania holds 20 electoral college votes compared to Ohio’s 18 votes. It is mathematically possible for a Romney/Ryan win if they pick up PA and lose OH. As Morris points out, the Obama campaign has a very light advertising presence, then again so does Romney’s campaign. I catch far more Senate candidate commercials than Presidential commercials on the rare occasions I’m watching the TeeVee.

Angus Reid Public Opinion Poll has Obama ahead of Romney in Pennsylvania – 48 percent Obama to 39 percent Romney – a 14 point spread. It also reports incumbent Senate Candidate Casey, JR with a 6 point lead over the Republican candidate, Tom Smith.

GOP SuperPAC poll has Smith and Casey, JR tied at 43 percent. No crosstab data was released.

Let Freedom Ring via Pulse Opinion Research conducted a survey of 1,000 likely voters shows incumbent Obama holding a 48 percent to 44 percent lead over Republican candidate Mitt Romney. Incumbent Casey, Jr holds onto a thin 47 percent to 46 percent lead over Republican Senate candidate, Tom Smith.

All polls outside of election day should be scrutinized carefully. These polls have broad ranging results and can kink up the predictions of PA election tea leaf readers. It boils down to a ground game of GOTV in Pennsylvania The successful candidate will be the one who is more successful in turning out voters on election day. While election fraud is a serious concern, I worry that local right of center political groups are focusing too heavily on poll watching and not so much on GOTV drives.

Posted on October 21, 2012 :: Categories: 2012 Presidential Election, Pennsylvania :: Tags: 2012 Presidential Election, Pennsylvania
1,077 views :: 1 Comment

Pennsylvania Voter ID Law Upheld

Judge Robert Simpson in Commonwealth Court upheld Pennsylvania’s Voter ID law. Every Committee person in the state let out a collective groan at the amount of chaos that may be kicked up on election day.

Although this is the right step to take in wake of massive voter fraud reported by Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt. , if the DOJ does not block this law, the implementation will be rocky. Yet it will be worth the effort for fairer elections for all in Pennsylvania.

Just as a reminder to PA readers, here is a list of the acceptable identifications for the November election.

WHAT TYPES OF PHOTO IDS ARE ACCEPTABLE IN NOVEMBER?

Acceptable PHOTO IDs include:
•    A PA driver’s license: currently valid or expired less than 12 months.
•    An ID issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT): currently valid or expired less than 12 months.
•    A currently valid U.S. passport. Expired passports will not be accepted.
•    An active duty or retired U.S. military ID, including an ID for members of the PA National Guard: an indefinite expiration date will be accepted.
•    A currently valid military dependent’s ID. Expired IDs will not be accepted.
•    A currently valid employee ID issued by federal, PA, PA county or PA municipal government. Expired IDs will not be accepted.
•    A currently valid ID issued by a PA university, college, seminary, community college or two-year college to students, faculty, employees and alumni. Expired IDs will not be accepted.
•    A currently valid ID issued by a PA care facility (such as a long-term care nursing facility, assisted living residence or a personal care home). Expired IDs will not be accepted.

Posted on August 15, 2012 :: Categories: National, Pennsylvania :: Tags: Pennsylvania
2,865 views :: 1 Comment

Penn State Removes Joe Paterno Statue

Joe Paterno statue removed from Beaver stadium today, however, Paterno’s name will remain on a university library. NCAA is planning to announce its sanctions against Penn State University 9 am EST on Monday.

Will the removal of the statue and the sanctions to be levied by the NCAA be enough to break the culture within Penn State that enabled a pedophile? I’m more cautious than optimistic at this time.

Do you agree or disagree with the removal of the Paterno statue? I’ll keep the poll going till 9pm EST on Tuesday, July 24th.

Public Opinion Poll Results

Posted on July 22, 2012 :: Categories: Pennsylvania :: Tags: Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania Primary Voter ID Information and a Few Endorsements

UPDATE: Welch concedes; Tom Smith is the presumptive winner of the Republican primary PA Senate Race

UPDATE: Calling the Democrat Attorney General Race for Kathleen Kane

UPDATE: An ousting of ‘blue dog’ democrats in PA? As good as it is for the nation that Altmire and Murphy to have lost, they (the moveon.org wing) served their purpose and were expendable commodities. The Lid takes a look at the alarming claiming of the Democrat party by unions. Question is when will the Democrat party be owned by Democrats?

Pennsylvania law now requires all voters to present a photo ID in order to cast a vote. Tuesday’s primary is a dress rehearsal for the November general election. You will be asked for an ID, but not barred from voting if you do not have one on your person.

The Committee of 70 has put together a voter guide explaining the details of the Voter ID law. Via Committee of Seventy:

WHAT TYPES OF PHOTO IDS ARE ACCEPTABLE IN NOVEMBER?

I have few politicians to endorse in this primary and with no further ado, here are my endorsed candidates:

On the Republican side:

PA Senator – Tom Smith or Sam Rohrer
PA State Representative – Dave Kralle
President – Mitt Romney

On the Democrat side:

Kathleen Kane – Attorney General – it was the following video that convinced me to endorse her:

Posted on April 23, 2012 :: Categories: 2012 Presidential Election, Democrat, Pennsylvania, Republican :: Tags: Democrat, Pennsylvania, Republican
2,502 views :: 1 Comment

Meet Sam Rohrer – Pennsylvania Candidate for U.S. Senate

Sam Rohrer, former state representative (1992-2009), father, husband, and fiscal conservative running for the United States Senate.

Pennsylvania statewide primary is set for Tuesday, April 24th.

RCP calls this senate race for Casey against all Republican candidate, however, Sam Rohrer is the candidate with the smallest percentage difference in polling with Casey.

Posted on April 20, 2012 :: Categories: Pennsylvania :: Tags: Pennsylvania
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Meet Tom Smith – Pennsylvania Candidate for U.S. Senate

Tom Smith is a Republican candidate for U.S. Senator, challenging incumbent Pennsylvania Senator Robert Casey JR. Tom, a farmer and coal company owner, labels himself a conservative Republican. He offers voters a fresh, business minded perspective honed by a solid work ethic.

Pennsylvania statewide primary will be held on April 24th.

RCP fairly calls this race for Casey when matched up against all the Republican candidates. This has always been a steeply uphill race for Republicans to win. When the PA GOP endorsed the most likely to fail candidate, I knew the game was over and have not invested much of my time in this race.

My hope is this coming failure will usher in an era of much needed housecleaning within the PA GOP.

Posted on April 20, 2012 :: Categories: Pennsylvania :: Tags: Pennsylvania
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PHS City Garden Contest Winner Reception at Governor’s Residence

It pays to be a PHS City Garden Contest Winner. A few weeks ago I received the following invitation:

Dear Friend:

We have an exciting and special invitation to extend to Community Greening Award recipients and City Gardens Contest winners. Pennsylvania’s First Lady, Mrs. Corbett is hosting a reception for you and your colleagues at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg to honor Pennsylvania’s greening champions.

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
cordially invites you to the

Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence
2035 North Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102

as a guest of First Lady Susan Corbett

Wednesday, December 7, 2011 from 4pm-6:30 pm
for a wine and cheese reception.

A tasty and stylish event organized by Pennsylvania’s First Lady Susan Corbett and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to honor those who have worked to green Philadelphia and by extension, Pennsylvania. After the presentation and speeches, we were invited to explore the first level of the residence festively decorated for Christmas.