May 18th: A “Mini” Super Tuesday

     May 18th may be a “red-letter” date— or maybe that is “pink slip”.

    In several states, key primary elections may set the tone for the rest of the primaries, as well as the November midterm elections.

    First there is the special elections in Hawaii, in the district where Obama’s grandparent’s lived, to fill the seat of Rep. Neal Abercrombie (D-Hi)(who is running for Governor).  Republican Charles Djou is expected to defeat the Democrats, Ed Case and Colleen Hanabusa, in the district that is predominantly Democrat. The DCCC pulled its resources, since neither of the two Democrats would pull from the race.

      In Arkansas, Sen. Blanche Lincoln faces a tough battle in the Democrat primary, being challenged by Lt. Gov. Bill Halter. Even if Lincoln pulls off a victory on Tuesday, she is still unlikely to win in November.

      Kentucky’s Senate primary battle on the Republican side pits the Trey Grayson, the GOP endorsed candidate, against Dr. Rand Paul, the son of Rep. Ron Paul. Dr. Paul has the momentum of the Tea Party movement behind him, and as of today, has a 14 point lead over Grayson.

    But Pennsylvania will be a Super Tuesday focal point, with the Senate primary and the special election to fill the seat of the late John Murtha. In the race to fill Murtha’s seat, his aide Mark Critz, is in a dead heat match with his Republican opponent, Tim Burns. In a district that is 2-1 Democrat, Burns leads by a point in the polls.

      And the big showdown in Pennsylvania is between GOP turned Democrat (so I can win reelection) Sen. Arlen Specter against Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa). It has been alleged that the White House had attempted to get Sestak to leave the race months ago, and his momentum has built in the past few weeks, to where the race is virtually to close to call. For his part, Specter is banking on his “seniority” to keep him in office.

       I see the day going to Djou, Halter, Paul, Burns, and Sestak !

Funny Campaign Ad: Attack of the 50 Foot Pelosi

PA Voters are turning RED

Not too long ago, going Democrat blue was the thing to do. But now, local voter registration offices are seeing red.

So how will a GOP surge play into an election year that’s packed with big races?

In 2008, we saw a big Democrat comeback in Congress.

But then, in the last general election, we saw what could be the beginning of a Republican rebound.

Both Lehigh and Northampton counties are reporting a trend of voters who have switched parties and are now Republicans.

See article at: http://www.wfmz.com/news/23224513/detail.html

The “Greying” of Congress

      Rep. John Murtha, the colorful and controversial Democrat from western Pennsylvania, underwent gallbladder surgery last week, and today, has been readmitted to the hospital, in the intensive care unit. Murtha will be 78 in June. There is no indication yet as to what the present situation is, but it is obviously quite serious.

      Everyone wishes John Murtha a speedy recovery, but it highlights the “greying” of our Congress, and the added need to revisit the idea of term limits. When Frankin Roosevelt was elected at the onset of the Depression, and then re-elected three more times, many began to see the possibility of a Presidency that, over time in the hands of one person, could evolve into something else. That was why Washington chose to retire to Mt. Vernon after two terms in office, and it was that viewpoint that led to the adoption of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution so soon after Roosevelt’s death.

       Yet our Representatives and our Senators do not have the same limitations. Joe Biden was elected when Nixon was President. Chris Dodd has decided NOT to seek a sixth term in the Senate. Ted Kennedy had served since 1962. Robert Byrd was elected to the House of Representatives in 1952, and has served in the Senate since 1959. Rep. John Dingell, at 83, has been elected to his seat 26 times. Arlen Specter will be 80 next week.

     This was not what our forefathers could have envisioned, particularly under the banner of “By the People, for the People, of the People“. What sense of the “real world” do these career politicians have, being within the confines of the Beltway for decades? The legislation that they forge has an impact on the daily lives of average Americans, yet these legislators have not worked in the private sector to understand the impact of their legislation. This is not to say that the work done by these Congressmen and Senators is not beneficial to the country. But there is a great deal of disconnect between Washington and their constituents, as the ObamaCare legislation has shown.

       The greying of our Congress is not new (Strom Thurmond and Claude Pepper come to mind), and there is benefit to the counsel of theiir generation. But at the same time, as Ted Kennedy’s illness showed, the representation of the constituency takes a back seat to the politics of a legacy. The only method to correct this is term limits.