The Pennsylvania Progressive

Drudge Blows Harry's Cover

I didn't want to write about this issue until Prince Harry was safely ensconced somewhere other than Afghanistan.  Matt Drudge of The Drudge Report (he doesn't deserve a link) released the fact Britain's Prince Harry was serving his country in Afghanistan (the place where the terrorists really exist).  Having been deployed in December the media had an understanding not to reveal this information for the safety of the Prince and those he in his unit.

There are some thing we shouldn't be reporting and disclosing and this was one example.  Blowing his cover jeopardized not only his life but those of his comrades and their mission.  The Prince does doing important work against very bad people, The Taliban.  If you recall this was the regime which allowed Osama the safe refuge to plan his attacks upon us.  This is national security information you do not divulge.  That's simple common sense:  don't report information which sacrifices any part of your country's security.

News & Notes

A lot of important, but short notes on things going on...

Tom Manion's opponent has dropped out of the GOP primary for the 8th Congressional District.  He will run against Democratic incumbent Patrick Murphy.

John Murtha's opponent has been stricken from the ballot for failing to acquire the requisite 1,000 petition signatures.  Bill Russell only obtained 993 valid signatures of registered Republicans residing in his District.  Standing outside supermarkets is NOT a good way to obtain petition signatures.  Go get walk lists of actual registered voters and knock on doors folks.

Marina Kats received the endorsement of Montco Republicans and will face incumbent Democrat Allyson Schwartz in the 13th CD.   The popular Congresswoman Schwartz  got 66% of the vote two years ago.  Kats says "There's tremendous anti-incumbent sentiment right now..."  Don't confuse anti-Republicanism with anti-incumbency Ms. Kats.

One of the Republicans seeking to depose Democrat Chris Carney in the 10th CD has withdrawn.  Davis Haire's decision leaves the field to Chris Hackett and Dan Meuser.  This was once a crowded field though less crazy than the 5th CD in north central PA.

Kofi Annan has brokered a settlement in Kenya between warring politicians.  The violence emanating from what was viewed as a rigged election has killed hundreds and damaged the African country's lucrative tourism industry.

One of the most prominent civil rights leaders in the nation switched his allegiance from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama.   Congressman John Lewis of Georgia formally announced his decision yesterday.  This may signal a stream of super delegates converting to the man who is now the clear front runner.  To their credit super delegates are trying to be democratic and not force a decision which could be seen as rigging the nomination by insiders in smoke filled rooms.  We definitely are watching a maturing Democratic Party.

Nutter Getting Hybrid

You have to love Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter.  He's been doing everything well so far and making good choices.  Now he's getting a hybrid SUV and using campaign money to buy the Chevy Tahoe rather than use tax dollars.  Though not exactly "going green" since the Tahoe remains a big truck with low gas mileage, it's a step in the right direction.  Why not an Escape your honor?  I know, security reasons.

The biggest thing Mayor Nutter has accomplished thus far is the sense that the old style politics of influence and corruption are over in Philly.  That's a breath of fresh air in a city longing for change.

Rescind Oil Industry Welfare

The American oil industry racked up record profits of $138 billion last year but Congress continues to subsidize this robust ailing industry.  Barrel prices for crude topped $102 this week and pump prices for gasoline are expected to be $4/gallon this summer.  Congress, therefore, is seeking to end the federal welfare payments subsidies to oil companies and channel that $18 billion to other needs.  Perhaps mass transit would be a good choice or efforts to offset global warming would be appropriate. 

Why are taxpayers subsidizing the oil industry at a time when they are at record profits?  At a time when consumers are being gouged for energy costs?  Partially because our government has failed us.  They failed us not only because they're giving our money to ExxonMobil, Shell and others, but because we still have no national system of mass transit, no plan for developing alternative and renewable energies, no tax credits for using solar, wind and geothermal energy in place of fossil fuels, and because we remain dependent on foreign oil.

CAFE standards for vehicles have only recently become what was needed thirty years ago and are well under what they need to be now and Americans continue driving huge cars and trucks that aren't necessary.  No other peoples on our planet find a compelling need to drive these types of vehicles, it is only our greed and selfishness which prompts us to think we have the right to destroy everyone's environment to indulge our wants.  And we've been subsidizing those who are fighting progress on all these fronts.

George W. Bush, a former oil industry failure, has promised to veto any such legislation.

PA Building Blue

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party has launched its new website PABuildingBlue.  It's an action center where you can sign up to be a Neighborhood Leader, contribute to the state Party, participate on a message board, and sign up for the state email network.  There's also a calendar of events and training tutorials for candidates and campaigns.  The multi-faceted site also allows people to register to vote or obtain an application for an absentee ballot.  Definitely go check out this fine new effort.

T.J. Rooney really understands the internet, blogs, social networking and the various ways to use technology to improve and grow the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.  They are using multimedia to spruce up the website and provide personal glimpses of Keystone State Democrats.

Nothing Changing In Cuba

Raul Castro was elected president of Cuba yesterday by a close knit group of powerful insiders.  There was no free and fair democratic election just like there never has been a free and fair election on that island.  I only mentioned Fidel's stepping down tangentially last week because I didn't, and don't, see this as big news.  Fidel Castro transferred power to Raul 18 months ago so this official event means little of consequence.  Nothing is going to change in Cuba so the pundits should find something more worthy of their time and energy.

Support THON

The annual Penn State Dance Marathon, now known simply as THON, is this weekend and benefits the Four Diamonds Fund.  Dozens of student couples began dancing yesterday and will do their thing until tomorrow evening.  You can watch it live on the web and contribute here.  The event is sponsored by the Inter Fraternity Council and Panhellenic Society and raises money to help kids with cancer.  It's the biggest student run philanthropy in the world and has raised $46 million.  This has been going on so long I recall it from my undergraduate years a few centuries ago.  OK, it only seems a few centuries!

Update:  THON raised a record $6,600,000 this weekend.  Thanks to all who contributed or supported the kids.

The Unseated Delegates

I heard a news report this morning that Hillary Clinton has begun insisting she get her delegates from Michigan and Florida.  Those delegations were stripped after the states moved their primaries to dates before Super Tuesday.  That was creating chaos in the primary calendar and did result in both Iowa and New Hampshire moving their dates forward.  More such conduct would have made the onset of the election season ridiculous and the DNC did the right thing by putting the kibosh on it all.

So the rules were established.  Michigan and Florida not only lost their right to send delegates to Denver but the candidates were forbidden to campaign in either state.  Barack Obama, John Edwards and Bill Richardson all pulled their names off the ballot in Michigan so Clinton was the only major candidate on that ballot.  Giving her those delegates now would be seen as a clear fix.

Democrats are very wary of a fix this year.  They don't want this election decided behind closed doors.  They want a transparent process and the angst being displayed is a symptom of this anxiety.  Unfortunately a lot of opaqueness is happening and it will never disappear from politics.  Both campaign operations are wooing delegates, any delegates they can find.  That's all part of the process under the rules.  I expect the super delegates will fall pretty much along the lines as the Party electorate.

Michigan and Florida could be the determining factors though and this is a serious issue.  Obama obviously does extremely well when he campaigns in a state.  His absence from both these primaries hurt his chances.  He had no chance in Michigan because he wasn't on their ballot.  On the other hand how do we disenfranchise two large states?  Could doing so come back and bite us in November?

It's a difficult and tricky issue.  What do we do?  One solution would be to seat Florida and not Michigan.  I don't see any way the Wolverine state can be credentialed.  Doing one but not the other may solve the issue.  Other suggestions would be barring them from a first ballot only.  Delegates are freed after that anyway and both candidates would have the chance to convince them to support their side on a second or third ballot.

Another solution would be to credential both states but divide their delegates equally.  Whatever, this will be the first serious order of business at the convention and may determine the nominee.  This is why Hillary is already working on it, she obviously doesn't foresee winning the nomination otherwise.

The risk for Clinton's actions is the backlash.  The more undecided voters, like me, see these machinations the more likely we are to support Barack Obama.  I interpret Clinton's insistence on Michigan as outright cheating.  If she insists on those delegates I will endorse Barack Obama.  That wasn't a fair election.

New Jersey May Address Immigrant Issue

New Jersey may be acting to address the undocumented immigrant issue in a manner which is fair and legal.  A State Senator is introducing a bill which would allow the state, which, by law licenses businesses, to revoke any such license for a business which knowingly hires undocumented workers.

This is the sort of effective action for which we've been calling.  Aside from regulating interstate commerce the states have the power to license and control businesses and corporations constitutionally.  The real issue with these workers are those greedy, shady employers who hire and exploit them.  Taking severe action against them, threatening the very continuation of their business, may be the punishment needed to solve the problem.

No jobs=no undocumented immigrants.  With no work for them they will stop coming.

Kosovo Independent

Kosovo, once part of Tito's Yugoslavia then attacked by Serbia in an effort to keep it subservient, declared its independence yesterday.  Serbian genocide in its neighboring states resulted in its being considered a renegade nation and stripped it of its bloodthirsty leader Slobodan Milosevic and its standing in the world of nations.

I heard a recent report on NPR in which young Serbs decried the coming move by Kosovo and they were completely unable to comprehend why because they had no knowledge of the brutality inflicted by their compatriots and no sense of the fact Serbs had committed genocide against their neighbors.  A little history goes a long way and this is a region which never forgets its history.  What aren't they teaching in Serbia is being taught elsewhere in the Balkans and you can take that to the bank.