Hafer, Waltner Preparing Congressional Runs

Beth Hafer and Mike Waltner are two of our new Congressional candidates preparing and gearing up for challenges to incumbent Republicans in 2008.  Hafer is the daughter of Barbara Hafer, a well known and respected figure in Pennsylvania.  She is running for the 18th CD seat held by Tim Murphy.  Mike Waltner is from Erie and is running for the 3rd CD seat held by Phil English.

Both Murphy and English are far right wing Republicans who have been voting against every initiative of this 110th Congress.  If you scroll through my archives checking their votes on key bills you'll find they're with Pitts and Platts voting against everything from stem cell research, timelines in Iraq, the minimum wage, the environment, the entire progressive agenda.  2008 is the year we replace them.

Tim Murphy has an awful reputation as someone who is so difficult to work for he cannot even keep staff.  Last year one of his Congressional office staffers revealed he was using his government paid people to run his campaign and using government equipment for political purposes.  This is very illegal.  No public funds are to be expended for partisan campaigns.  That isn't fair to the taxpayers funding these salaries and paying for office equipment.

When Murphy got caught a reporter confronted him with documents the Congressman then grabbed and took from the man, on camera. 

Let me give you an idea of how things are supposed to happen.  I did some research last year on Diana Irey, Jack Murtha's opponent.  I found out she supported all forms of human degradation and torture of prisoners and was a war profiteer through her husband's company.  I wrote a story (on the old blog at Blogspot) and the next morning had an email from Murtha's campaign.  One of his Congressional staffers wanted to contact me and did so only after waiting for lunch, walking off Capital Hill and using his personal cell phone.  Jack Murtha's people are meticulous about following the law while Tim Murphy forces his staffers to campaign on the people's dime.

I've written quite a bit about Phil English.  As Howie Klein at Down With Tyranny! has disclosed, he has a particular penchant for teenage male prostitutes.  I don't suppose we need say more.

It's time for change.

Comments

[Benita]

So how is Hafer or any other Dem who is willing to run against Timmy stand on the issues? Are they true Dems, or are they Casper Milktoast?

If any Dem who could beat Timmy thinks that triangulation is the strategy to maintain the office, she or he won't.

Why? The Cons always say things like, "Well, the Dems do the same things that we do--like vote for a "clean" occupation appropriations bill. At least we stand for our principles."

The Dems have to define their own principles as the moral principles they are and start redefining the Cons' "principles" as the immoral principles they really are. And if the media start spouting the right-wing line--which they do all the time--then the Dems have to start calling the media out as right-wing.

We have to stop saying PA Dems are conservative. They define themselves as conservative because they've been brainwashed to think "conservative--good; liberal--bad."

In short, the Dems must start really fighting for true democratic principles as if the country depends on it. And it does!

[John Morgan]

I can't agree more Benita!

[howie]

Just to be clear, it wouldn't matter to me all that much if English was using male prostitutes or admitted he is bisexual or whatever he is, if he didn't have a consistently homophobic voting record. It really is no one's business who these Republican congressmen like Dreier and McCrery and McConnell and Lary Craig and Lindsey Graham have sex with; it's just the gross hypocrisy of sneaking around in the dark of night while in the day time you vote against equality for gay men and women. And there are a lot of reasons NW Pennsylvania would be way better off without Phil English as a representative besides the gay hypocrisy. He's bad for jobs and he's bad for health care and he supports Bush's overall catastrophic agenda in Iraq. Even if he comes out tomorrow and admits he's gay and becomes an advocate for equality, he would still be unfit to be in Congress.

[John Morgan]

I've been listing the voting records of all our Congressional delegation for each major piece of legislation. Phil English's horrendous voting record is surpassed only by Joe Pitts (PA-16).

Thanks for stopping by Howie and adding to the argument for replacing this legislator. The Third District will have a definite choice this year.

Who someone has sex with is their own business, as long as it's consensual and the partners are adults. The rumors surrounding Phil English, as you and I have published, suggest he has a penchant for teenage African American hustlers. This goes past whether or not he's a hypocrit, voting a homophobic record while being in the closet. If he is out there preying on underage males and patronizing prostitutes it also goes to criminal behavior. If he has been arrested several times and let go that goes to police and prosecutor cover ups and this should concern everyone.