Times (Herald) Foolery

At least now we know why the Times Herald's Stan Huskey became an editor: it was very clear he'd never make it as a poet.

As evidence, we present Stan's latest salvo in the never-ending "We know Matthews is a crook, we just need some new laws to prove it" mission - in which he attempts to rhyme his way to some sort of point. Not only does he fail to make his point, he also fails to make a rhyme in most cases. For example, take these final six lines of his "Twas the Day After Christmas" doggerel:

Pay to play has been touted as an onerous offense
But apparently the evidence is easy to rinse
Campaign finances are easily spent
On your car, your club or possibly your rent
So here’s to a happy Christmas to all
A time to take umbrage begins with this night

I rest my case.

I also humbly present my rebuttal to the Huskey malarkey, for better or verse. With the late Nat King Cole doing the vocals, I give you "Huskey Burning with an Open Ire", otherwise known as "The Day After Christmas Song":

Huskey burning with an open ire
Like he’d been punched in the nose
Still can’t believe that Matthews the Liar
Is not the crook he thinks he knows.
He really thinks it blows
And so he writes and writes and writes
And hopes to one day to change the laws
Thinks that new rules will make it all right
And fix the county’s many flaws
But please, let us pause
And think about what’s really wrong
With news so biased and obsessed
Skewed and distorted reporting allowed
From Tea Party Phucas and the rest
Who ever could have guessed
This once-great paper falls so low
It acts so very like Fox News
Although it’s been said, many times many ways
It’s the readers who lose.

Credit where credit is due

Winning the County Commissioners' race is huge. Beyond huge. And even though I continue to have very large issues with the MCDC leadership, it is time to say "Well done."

Local pundits will crunch the numbers for a long time over this one, but I'm sure we'll see that the race was won with huge turnout in the Eastern part of Montgomery County.

Meanwhile, there's another facet of the race that has gotten almost no attention, but I think it smacks of (dare I say) genius. That compliment is not given lightly to this crew, believe me.

But as much as I could not believe county Democrats weren't fielding a candidate to oppose Risa Ferman for DA, I now look at that as a brilliant strategical move.

Here in the Philly burbs (and elsewhere), Democrats lose law & order races. Whoever Marcel & Co. put up against Ferman would have been a sacrificial lamb anyway. But more than that, it would have opened the door for all kinds of "Democrats are soft" talk. And enough of that kind of talk could easily have poisoned the well for the Commissioners race, too.

But by not running a candidate for DA, the county Democrats completely took that card off the table.

It's not the only reason that Shapiro and Richards (yes, I will now acknowledge she has a name) won last night. But it's part of the big picture, and in hind sight, I appreciate how smart it was.

Times Herald Reporter: Just call him "Mr. Tea"

This is really beyond priceless. Reporter Keith Phucas, Bruce Castor's bestest buddy at the Times Herald, formerly BFF of Curt Weldon and lover of all things conspiracy related, is apparently a card-carrying Tea Partier. Who'da thunk it?

The Times Herald: like their cable news clone, Fox News, delivering far-right propaganda direct to you every day. The house organ of the Montgomery County Republican Party...Now featuring Tea Party reporters!!!

They distort. I deride.

Norristown Times Herald: "Keep your comments to yourself!"

Looks like one of the major changes in the Norristown Times Herald web redesign is the total elimination of Reader Comments. As a semi-frequent contributor, I'm a bit taken by surprise.

But who knows, maybe this will work for them.

It sure will eliminate Stan Huskey's frequent attempts to justify his paper's total lack of objectivity in its coverage of local politics. I'm guessing he'll use the extra time to discuss additional story and column ideas with Bruce Castor and the MCRC.

MPXD: Ex Marks This Spot

After this latest national disgrace in which our President once again abandoned the people who supported him in order to appease those who hate him and hate all that the Democratic Party stands for, I can no longer be a Democrat.

I have not left the Party. The Party has left me. And I am grieving because of it.

But until some hoped-for day in the future when those we elect actually stand and fight for the ideals our Democratic Party was built on, I will not call myself a Democrat. When this party again defends the poor and the powerless, when it protects the weak against attacks from the rich and powerful, when it speaks for labor and jobs and not for greed and corporate corruption, I will happily welcome my Party home.

I don’t see that day coming anytime soon, though. So I will be Montco PA Ex-Dem from this point on.

You have no idea how sad this makes me.

Overweight and Out of Control

It's official: the Governor of New Jersey is fat, irresponsible and reckless.

What's more, he's costing the state an untold amount of money in extra health care and state administrative fees because of his total disregard for his health.

The rotund teabagger was rushed to the hospital today, complaining of shortness of breath. Apparently it wasn't a heart attack (the first thing one might suspect, given the Guv's gigantic size) but instead may have been triggered by an existing asthma condition.

According to a report on MSNBC.com (with my emphasis added):

While it is not known if this is an asthmatic attack at this point, a source close to the governor confirms Christie has suffered from asthma for years.
"He carries an inhaler with him," this source told NBC New York.
He also noted that the governor's weight doesn't help his health issues.

So just to recap:

- Christie knows he's got a history of asthma

- He allows himself to get big as a house, making the condition worse

- And when it inevitably results in him being carted off to the ER, Jersey taxpayers foot the hefty health-care bill along with all the expense involved in setting up security, transportation, communications and all the trappings that go along with having the governor make an unscheduled hospital visit.

Just one more reason that Chris Christie is bad for New Jersey.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm often accused in real life of asking too many questions. Here are some of them:

- Why do the Montco Repub commissioner candidates and the Montco Republican Party in general get a free ride from the press in the face of their overwhelming financial support from Vahan Gureghian and the three stooges from Susquehanna International Group? These guys are one-issue contributors, all looking to funnel taxpayer dollars away from public schools and into charters and voucher programs. To paraphrase Grover Norquist, these deep-pocket wingnuts want to shrink public education until it's small enough to drown in a bathtub -- last year, they bought Tom Corbett and half the PA legislature, this year, they're aiming for the Montco Courthouse.

- Why is Joe Hoeffel taking the lead on 422 tolling? I respect the hell out of Joe and think he doesn't get nearly the acclaim that he deserves from his own party but man...this makes no sense at all. I'm starting to think that maybe he likes being called out by all those people who write in the Comments sections.

- How can a newspaper that's as bad as the Times Herald continue to reap armloads of awards in various newspaper & journalism contests? (And I'll try to answer my own question on this one: A)it's a real small field competing these days, so you don't really have to be good to win a prize, just show up; B)the contests they're winning are sort of the newspaper equivalent of the Golden Globes - if your corporate parent buys an ad in the program book, you're bound to take home some hardware; C) and here's a scary thought: all the daily newspapers of the same size as the TH are even more inchoherent, more poorly written, less intelligent and have less talented staffs. Hard to imagine, but possibly true...)


- How do I reconcile the fact that I love the things that the Democratic Party stands for and the ideals that it represents, but for the most part can't relate to any of the people who actually run the Democratic Party or most of its candidates and elected officials? And that applies as much locally as it does nationally. I could never be anything other than a Democrat, but there are only a very small handful of Democratic officials I'd ever want to spend my free time with.

Castor & Brown: The Anti-Public Education Slate?

Great story in today's Inquirer about how top Repub fatcats in Montco are turning their backs on Bruce Castor and giving instead to the Shapiro-What'sHerName ticket. Looks like Bob Asher is again dealing the self-righteous Castor a nice, public smackdown. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Meanwhile, a more interesting story may be buried in the final paragraphs of the Inquirer article:

Since declaring her candidacy in the fall, [Jenny Brown] has received more than $90,000 from charter-school magnate Vahan Gureghian.

That and subsequent contributions totalling $33,333 from three founding executives of the Susquehanna International Group in Bala Cynwyd account for the largest checks cut to any candidate in the race.

Their combined gifts make up 75 percent of all the money the Castor-Brown campaign has raised since October

So fully three-quarters of all the funding for the Repub County Commissioner candidates is coming from sources that are committed to killing public education in Pennsylvania? The same sources that have backed the Corbett administration as it tried to place school districts across the state in a stranglehold? The same sources that have pushed for a voucher system that could further cripple cash-starved PA schools? And, in the case of Gureghian, a guy who has engaged in secret non-public negotiations to take over all elementary education in Pottstown?

Somehow, I think that this issue might resonate with voters a lot more than whether or not the candidates back Obama's Israel policy.

The few, the proud...the Primary voters

We're a hardy bunch, us handful of voters who show up in off-year primaries. Doesn't matter whether it's wet, or unseasonably cold or even if there aren't any contested races - like addicted gamblers who spy a vacant slot machine, if you put up a voting booth we will invariably jump into it. We need that fix twice a year no matter what.

So tomorrow, the 10 percent or so of us who do this without question will make our trudge to the polls, push the buttons and return home to await our next fix in November, when our votes will actually have some impact. Unlike tomorrow's vote, especially for Democrats in Montgomery County, where the closest we come to a contest is the cross-filed judges. (Hint to Dems: read your sample ballot and vote Haaz & Austin.)

But just for the hell of it, I will be committing one small protest gesture tomorrow. One of my two votes for County Commissioner will be a write-in, inspired by the no-class way that our party's standard-bearer of just four years ago was kicked to the curb by MCDC leadership.

I'll push the button for Josh Shapiro tomorrow. And then I'll write in the name of Joe Hoeffel. And I'll say a silent thanks for the way that Joe has conducted himself in the face of unrelenting opposition from Republicans, the Times Herald and the people who call the shots in his own party.

Joe, there are still plenty of people in Montco who appreciate all that you've done throughout your career. Your name should be on the ballot, and the party should be ashamed of itself for allowing this to happen.

If this is the last time I get to vote for Joe, I will do it proudly. The man has served us well.

Sticking it to Tom Corbett

Earlier this month, Morning Call columnist Bill White asked readers to send him ideas for a Tom Corbett bumper sticker. I'm happy to report that the readers did not let him down.

White had one hell of a job picking from the the dozens of great entries he received. That's probably because Corbett has produced such a huge pile of dumb in his first few months as PA Governor - from his full frontal attack on public education, to his refusal to lay a pinkie on his buddies in the "natural resources" (aka "let's see how many ways we can destroy the environment") biz, Corbett has been exactly as advertised in last year's election: a friend to the rich and powerful, an enemy to the middle class and poor. Like Tea Party icons everywhere, he's a government official who is working as hard as he can to destroy government.

So without further ado, enjoy these entries from Bill White's readers:

• Corbett is out of his frackin' mind.

• Corbett: Hey, at least I don't drink as much as Rendell.

• PA: The Commonwealth where the common wealth goes to the Gas Companies.

• Heat your home Corbett style — light your tap water on fire!

• Corbett: Leave no clean water behind, just children!

• Corbett, taking PA up a toxic creek!

• Pa: Where welfare is for the wealthy, and everyone else gets fracked.

• Corbett: Destroying education, health care and the environment for the good of all!

• You've got a fracking friend in Pennsylvania.

• Corbett: Making Pennsylvania more depressing than Billy Joel could have imagined.

• Gas drillin' is thrillin' when you're frackin' for free

• Gov. Corbett: Frakturing Public Education.

• Let them eat shale!

• Corbett: The best governor money can buy.

And in the end, White chose two winning entries. For the record, I like some of the nonwinners above a lot more than the two that White picked - but hey, it's his column and he gets to have the final say. Here are the two winners:

• Corbett: Hooked on Frack

• Corbett: Every child left behind

BLTWY: Do they even read the stuff they put up there? (UPDATED)

I got ticked off at the MSNBC.com politics blog BLTWY the other night when they put up a half-baked steaming pile of Grover Norquist taunting President Obama (Obama's Terrified of Paul Ryan...yeah,right), then linked it on the front page of MSNBC as if it was news.

But it was late at night and by the next morning it was forgotten, a temporary annoyance from a blog that's trying to up its readership, I supposed.

Today, though, I took another trip to BLTWY-ville and found the page pictured here, (which has since been removed - see UPDATE below) which convinces me that this stuff is the product of either incredible incompetence or just plain stupidity. Or both. Probably both.

Seems that the BLTWY bozos decided to put together a "where are they now" feature on high-profile politicians who ran for office and lost last fall. Among those featured: Joe Sestak.

Except that they apparently found an April Fool's Day item from the Politicspa.com website - which churned out fake news items on April 1 like a poor cousin of The Onion - and took the whole thing seriously. Here's what BLTWY is saying about Sestak:

Joe Sestak
Then: The Pennsylvania Representative lost his reelection bid to Republican Pat Toomey

Now: Running for basically every office in Pennsylvania

Joe Sestak certainly didn't let his loss in November slow him down. On the contrary, it seems the former congressman's political aspirations have quadrupled. Sestak recently announced his bids for or Auditor General, PA Treasurer, Congress, Governor in 2014 and 2018. “Pennsylvania is in crisis, and voters deserve responsible, accountable leadership,” said Sestak in a press release. “Unfortunately there’s only one of me, so I will give it my best.” Guess that clears up our lingering suspicion that Sestak had himself cloned.

The idiots at BLTWY found this fake April Fools day item, complete with fake press release, and swallowed it whole, then regurgitated it as fact for their readers.

I either need to read less or routinely pop some ibuprofen before turning on the computer. This stuff hurts my head.

UPDATE: I guess the crew at BLTWY was rightly embarrassed by their Sestak flub - they have taken the page down and Joe is nowhere to be seen in their current version of "Where are They Now?" But if you're curious about what real reporting incompetence looks like, you can still see their original in all it's head-slapping glory courtesy of Google cache. Go have a laugh, it's worth the trip.

No Foolin' - Bush makes Presidential Poll Final Four

I just wish this was an April Fools story. It would be really funny. But it's not...and it's not.

The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia has a blog called Constitution Daily, a nice one to check every once in a while for historical and Constitution-related tidbits.

To coincide with the NCAA basketball playoffs, the blog decided to run a Presidential bracket and see who came up as the Presidential champion.

Well, they're down to their Final Four and here are the match-ups:

Washington vs. Lincoln (a tough call, I'd say, with good arguments to be made for both of them...current voting is close: Washington, 47.6% vs Lincoln 52.4%).

and

Franklin Roosevelt vs. George W. Bush And as of a few minutes ago, Bush is winning by a wide margin, 71% vs. 29% for Roosevelt. Again, this is NOT an April Fool's prank - I only wish it was. For a result like this, I'm pretty sure the blog must be using James Baker and Katherine Harris to process the votes.

Voting is still going on however, so there's still hope that a few folks who actually know something about Presidents and the Constitution (and competency) might keep this atrocity from happening.

In the great scheme of things, a blog poll doesn't amount to much, even one that's run under the auspices of a good-hearted institution like the National Constitution Center. But I'd hate to see a result where a handful of right-wing loonies ended up making a statement that will no doubt be picked up by the echo chamber to the effect that Bush is more highly regarded than Roosevelt.

Because that really would look Foolish.

This should be fun

It appears that one of Montco's most strident Wingnutters is trying to unseat a two-term incumbent Supervisor in Upper Providence.

Personally, I wish Lisa Mossie great sucess in the primary and I hope she wins. It will be much sweeter to see her lose to a Democrat in the fall.

Cha-ching!!! Corbett's budget takes over $20 million from County School Districts

Here's the rundown of what each school district in Montgomery County is going to face in putting together next year's budget. This, along with reduced revenues from property tax reassessments and recession-related fallout, is going to have a huge impact on public education. It's going to mean much higher property taxes and giant cuts in staff and programs...in other words, you'll pay lots more and get lots less.

Maybe this will wake up Montco voters who thought that electing Tom Corbett meant they'd be paying a bit less at tax time. I don't think I'd want to be a Republican state legislator who has to face the voters after they get next year's property tax bills.

Wonder if the Tea Partiers will go after Corbett and his party with the same fervor they've attacked President Obama? But at least the gas drillers won't have to pay any taxes...as they say in Texas, "Yee-Haw!"

Anyway, these figures are transcribed courtesy of Democratic Staff on the House Appropriations Committee in Harrisburg. You can look for yourself by clicking here.

An Orgy of Slogans for Newt's 2012 Campaign

This is what Twitter was born to do: Somebody comes up with a concept, throws a hashtag on it, and then anyone who has a creative spark is free to pile on.

Tonight, there was an especially, er, fertile idea: #newt2012slogans. In light of Newt's hilarious explanation about his serial infidelities ("Working too hard", no pun intended, was somehow responsible for his bed-jumping), it was an assignment with infinite possibilities.

And the Twitterati did not disappoint.

Here are some of the better entries:

The Audacity of Grope

It's the Viagra, Stupid

Make Love and War

Really, Really Passionate Conservatism

America: Love it, Then Leave It

Wife Change You Can Believe In

I Approved This Massage.

I only regret that I have but one wife to leave for my country

Go all the way with Newt!

Drill, Baby, Drill

###

If you have any others, I'd be honored to see 'em. Leave as a comment...

Report: Corbett budget cuts 50% from PSU, Pitt

According to a story in today's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Corbett's Draconian education cuts will begin with higher education:

His proposed 2011-12 budget would cut in half state funding for the State System of Higher Education and for state-related universities including Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh, Republican and Democratic legislative sources said last night.

50-percent. My God.

The article goes on to say "Lawmakers braced for deep cuts in education, community and economic development, and welfare programs."

You know, maybe it's just me, but I don't think of Education as another "program" to be cut. Whether it's public K-12 or Pennsylvania's Higher Education system -- and both are going to be officially nuked later today -- state-supported public education is a primary responsibility that we owe to our kids, ourselves and our society.

I hope that somebody organizes a Wisconsin-type protest against this outrage. Hundreds of thousands of PA taxpayers need to arrive in Harrisburg to show this governor that his priorities are not just wrong, they are immoral.

Destroying schools so that gas drillers can do their dirtywork tax-free is an abomination.

I am ashamed of my state. Deeply and completely ashamed.

Corbett's first execution: Public Education

This week, Tom Corbett is going to show Pennsylvanians that he's the tough, no-nonsense Governor that they voted for by sending his first victim to the death chamber.

Surprisingly, it won't be a child murderer or a cop killer that Corbett signs the death warrant for. Instead, it will be Pennsylvania's public schools.

Harrisburg politicos and pundits around the state are abuzz over what Corbett's budget address this week will reveal. But for anyone who's been paying attention - not many, apparently - this much is already known: schools will be the prime target, and they will be hit severely.

In fact, Corbett's budget director has already written to at least one local school district and informed them that the new budget will contain "catastrophic cuts" in funding for education.

Catastrophic. This is the word that Corbett's own aide is using. One can only imagine what that is going to look like.

Teachers aren't Bankers!

"We the taxpayers have a right to cut teachers salaries and benefits – they work for us! Bankers are not suckling from the taxpayer’s teat…except, of course, for the billions of gallons of taxpayer-bailout teat milk they sucked on so voraciously." - Jon Stewart, The Daily Show, 3/3/11

The Fox News Effect

Expose people to a 24-hour a day stream of infected right-wing propaganda and pretty soon, they start acting like this:



I know this is the same kind of speech that the Supreme Court just protected in the Westboro Baptist Church decision. But it is ugly and it is hateful and it is as un-American as any act of terrorism. No matter how many flags they wrap themselves in.

And just like that...it's gone!

Who says Repubs are slow-footed, lumbering Neanderthals who find it hard to cope with modern science?

Well, me...but that's not really the point of this piece.

The point here is that these Repubs can apparently move with incredible online speed when the need arises.

Take the case of the Jenny Brown (but not Bruce Castor) for County Commissioner Facebook page. It was just noted here in an item posted a little over 24 hours ago and already -- like magic! --the page has completely disappeared!

I guess it's a good thing that nothing ever really disappears from the Internet.

And I'd say that since they're so obviously sensitive about this, it's another good indication that there really is trouble in Repub Paradise if they need to go to the online shredder this early in the game. I would love to know what kind of phone calls went out to get this done so quickly...and who was doing the calling?

TH to chat live with Marcel this afternoon

This should be interesting.

Maybe they'll ask him what he did with the knife he used on Joe Hoeffel.

With luck, he'll announce he's stepping down after the November election. But don't hold your breath on that one.

UPDATE: We should set some expectations beforehand. Maybe some betting odds.

For example - Number of times Marcel mentions the name of Josh Shapiro's running mate: Over/under 12. I'll take the over on this one - I'm sure that's one of the reasons he's doing the interview, to get some name recognition for what's-her-name.

Number of questions Stan Huskey asks that deal with Joe Hoeffel in some way: let's put the over/under at 6 for this one. Again, I'll take the over.

Any others?

WRAP-UP #1: Good thing I didn't put money on those two bets, I think I got skunked on both. Some talk on the Commissioners' race and some about Hoeffel, but not nearly as much as I expected. Overall, good show by both Marcel & Huskey. Color me surprised.

That didn't take long: Jenny goes it alone

Well, they haven't even turned in the nominating petitions yet, and already there's solid evidence that the two Republican candidates are tired of their marriage of convenience.

Over the weekend, a Facebook page sprouted up featuring GOP candidate Jenny Brown...and no mention whatsoever of the giant ego she's supposed to be running with, Commissioner Bruce Castor.

The page, "Jenny Brown for Montgomery County Commissioner", features Brown's campaign head shot along with a number of posted endorsements from Facebook "friends." There's also an announcement of an upcoming Brown appearance keynoting the Upper Moreland Republican Committee Brunch.

But nowhere on the page does the name Bruce Castor appear.

To be fair, it's possible that the page was the handiwork of a friend or acquaintance who wanted to be among the first to jump on the bandwagon - anyone can create a Facebook page, after all.

But given the Peg Gibbons scuttlebutt about early friction between the Brown and Castor camps, I take this as another sign that the county Repubs may once again be fielding a political Odd Couple.

"Tax & Spend" County Budgets? Not Hardly

I keep reading county Repubs' comments trying to drum up some sort of case that the Matthews-Hoeffel record is marked by high taxes and out of control spending.

Here's one that comes from somebody calling themselves "H2O" (geez, H20 comes from what? a watercooler, maybe?) over on Philly.com:

"...Castor voted against all the big spending budgets."

But in truth, there haven't been any "big spending budgets." Fact is, quite the opposite is true - county budgets since the Matthews-Hoeffel coalition took control have CUT spending and kept tax rates stable, even in the face of drastic cuts in state and federal grant money and rapidly falling real estate tax revenue.

Here is a rundown of the county budget over the past five years: the final two Ellis-Matthews budgets and the first three Matthews-Hoeffel budgets:

2007: Expenditures - $463.0 million; Tax rate - 2.84 mills
2008: Expenditures - $484.4 million; Tax rate - 2.695 mills
2009 (first Matthews/Hoeffel budget): Expenditures - $424.6 million; Tax rate - 2.65 mills
2010: Expenditures - $403.9 million; Tax rate - 2.695 mills
2011: Expenditures - $398.5 million; Tax rate - 2.695 mills

Meanwhile, annual grant income during this period fell from a high of more than $200 million in the final year of Matthews-Ellis to less than $140 million last year.

If Castor wants to try and score points for voting against budgets that lowered spending by more than $86 million dollars while keeping the tax rate stable, he's welcome to try.

But if I was Bruce Castor (ugh, what a thought!), I think I'd stay away from making any kind of fiscal argument for why people should vote for me.

Ego wrestling

From the comments following Peg Gibbons article at Phillyburbs.com about Wednesday night's MCRC endorsement meeting.

Justataxpayer: Bob Kerns will be the downfall of the Montco GOP. The only thing bigger than his belly is his ego.

Montco PA Dem: Ah, c'mon. I'll put Marcel Groen's ego up against Kern's any day. It'd be like two sumo wrestlers. And whoever wins that one would get crushed by Bruce Castor's Giant Hulking Humongous Ego anyway.

Going waaaaay out on a limb with this one

OK, maybe not that far out. In fact, this is probably the surest of sure-shot predictions.

But when the dust settles in West Norriton tonight, the county Republicans will have an endorsed slate of Bruce Castor and Jenny Brown. Just like their Executive Committee told them to do.

There is no way that a majority of Republican committee members have the spine to stand up against Castor's Giant Ego.

It's simply too big to overcome.

UPDATE: And it's official. The vote has been taken and, as predicted, Castor & Brown are your Montco Repub standard bearers. Expect Kate Harper to drop out and endorse these two...might even happen at tonight's meeting. Times Herald coverage of the meeting is here.

LATER UPDATE: Well, it's been more than a week now and still no official word from Kate Harper about dropping out. I wouldn't be shocked if she files a nominating petition, but I still don't see any way she could actually beat either of the endorsed candidates in the primary.

WAAAAY LATER UPDATE: Just stumbled upon what may be the only public utterance by Rep. Kate Harper about her plans for the upcoming primary. Via Twitter (where Kate is known as "Montco061"): "I promised not to run for CC unendorsed, and I am keeping my word---honesty being a refreshing change for (sic) the way things are these days...9:35 AM Feb 16th via web" So I guess we won't be seeing her on the ballot after all. Too bad, it would have given us something to talk about in March & April.

Bruce Castor describes the size of his giant ego

Joe Hoeffel: Stabbed in the back

In the end, it was the enemy within who finished off Joe Hoeffel.

It wasn't the ignorant Republicans lobbing mudpies in the comments section of the Times Herald, or the lumbering, heavy-handed Bruce Castor whining about the latest effront to the giant Castor ego, or the right-wing barrage from a "newspaper" that long ago lost the right to call itself unbiased, or even the trumped-up investigation launched by a DA's office that still operates as the sock puppet for its former boss.

It was none of those. I still believe that Joe could have overcome all of that.

But the thing Joe Hoeffel could not overcome was the cowardice and political malice that blindsided him from within his own party.

Anyone who knows Joe Hoeffel knows he is an honorable man, probably too good for the political slime he's had to swim through for the past four years. Here's what one commenter at the Times Herald had to say once the news broke today:

"Elected officials who are in the public, give up their personal freedom to serve the electorate and are subject to allegations by opponents that usually have no root in fact...Joe Hoeffel is such a public servant. I have known him and his service for three decades and know 1st hand of his high ethical standards, desire to maximize the efficiency of county government and leave its people better than when he initially attained office. Many attacks against Hoeffel and Matthews have been initiated by office seekers and party hacks who view bipartisanship as un-American and therefore suspect."

So true, so true.

Joe was shockingly effective as the lone Democrat on the county commission. From a position that should have yielded absolutely no leverage for his voice to be heard, he was able to form a coalition and at least have some impact.

Could he reform the county single-handedly from its century and a half of Republican business as usual? Of course not. And of course, the Repub cabal knew exactly what to dredge up and use against him, because it was all familiar territory to them - in effect, they were able to take their own corrupt practices and accuse Hoeffel of somehow being the first to go there.

And not once did anyone in the county Democratic establishment step up to support him against these smears. Not once.

I really do wish Josh Shapiro and whats-her-name the best in November. But whichever of them ends up the minority commissioner, I hope they'll frame the bloody knife pulled from Joe Hoeffel's back to remind them of how they earned their office.