Posts tagged ‘Paul Kanjorski’

For those concerned about Marcellus Shale drilling, which all of us should be given the methane welling up in the Susquehanna, the poisoned well-water of families in Susquehanna, and on and on, then Paul Kanjorski is the man to vote for.

The League of Conservation Voters gave Kanjorski a perfect score last year.  That means he voted for the environment 100% of the time.

If elected, Kanjorski would continue that trend and protect our region’s environment, something it sorely needs from elected officials.  It’s an easy choice for November, I’d say.

On a related note, Republican Lou Barletta has claimed that he isn’t responsible for his city’s unemployment.  Hmm…  So what exactly is he saying he’s done as Mayor of Hazleton?  Nothing?  This would be laughable if he weren’t running for a promotion.  He won’t be responsible for his votes in Congress, too, I guess.  The gas drillers who donate to him will be.

The Tiki Bar at the Waldorf is pretty popular for summer outings and yesterday was the setting for an absolutely jammed event for Paul Kanjorski.  I arrived on time (it started at 6) and noticed that there were a ton of union people there in visibly union attire.  Unions are always a good sign (the last vestige of a strong middle class, a class I happen to like and wish would grow).

Nobody was playing volleyball up there this time around, but a few were on horseshoes.  As usual, the view of the valley was impressive.  As was the food.  Mmm…  Penne a la vodka.

So, let’s do the run down:  I had a nice conversation with Mike Washo, who I’ve always worked for and feel is one of the most sincere and honest guys in politics.  Rumored County Controller candidate Gary DiBileo and actually County Controller Ken McDowell were making the rounds.  Also from the County, Treasurer Ed Karpovich.  I heard a Carbon County Commissioner announced, but didn’t get the name and realized I don’t know the names of any commissioners outside Lackawanna-Luzerne in NEPA.  Tim Lynady and Nathan Barrett were there representing Minooka.  Rosemary Boland of the Scranton Federation of Teachers and Lisa Barrett from PSEA (whom I came with) represented educators.  State Representatives Ken Smith and Kevin Murphy both came and stayed for a while.  Former County Democratic Chairman Jerry Notariani came out, as did Scranton School Director Tom Gilbride and Scranton City Councilman John Loscombe.  Loscombe’s attendance was mandatory, given the wave of anger directed at Team Evans over Pat Rogan’s support of Lou Barletta.  I also saw Scranton Times political guru Borys meandering about, but didn’t get a chance to introduce myself.

As per the usual, I’m sure I missed people.  There was no particularly crazy drama, minus one of Kanjo’s field organizers amusingly introduced himself to me three times, then apologized when I informed him of this, saying, “I just met 400 people, sorry.”  Thankfully my ego is solid enough that I didn’t feel too insignificant.  On that note, I do like Kanjo’s field team and know they are very capable.  I think Kanjo will have a better ground game than Barletta, which he absolutely needs if he’s going to win.

Kanjo’s speech, near the end of the night, was your typical Kanjo-fair – that is, he gets genuinely riled up.  He talked about constant Republican obstruction and opposition to everything – even the recent bill to help 9/11 first responders (Rep. Weiner famously and rightfully went insane over this on the House floor).  He talked about his record, bringing millions into the region during his time in Congress.  The place was so packed, though, it was too loud for me to catch it all.  I was happy watching the body language, like I said, riled up.  Every so often I heard a “Dammit!” and “Hell!” and “Dammit to Hell!” out of him.  I appreciate candor.

A lot of those in attendance were unfamiliar faces to me.  When you go to enough of these things, like I do, everybody starts to look the same, so I gauge success, often, based on unfamiliarity.  Between that and the numbers in attendance, I’d say Kanjo still has a lot of support.  Hopefully it’s enough to keep him in there.  As long as he keeps highlighting his record, and highlighting Lou’s, then he’s got a chance of overcoming this anti-incumbent climate.

We can file this one in the Irony Drawer.

Yesterday, I received a Lou Barletta press release dated August 31^st and boy, it’s full of some fun stuff!  Barletta, that’s Lou Barletta, Republican running against Paul Kanjorski.  Yup, Barletta criticized Kanjorski for the district’s unemployment.  While, of course, Kanjo has a part to play in the region’s unemployment, Barletta has ZERO business criticizing anybody over unemployment.  Hazleton is over 15%!  That’s the worst in the state!  And you know what, if you take Hazleton out of the equation, Lou Barletta’s Hazleton, then maybe NEPA wouldn’t have the worst unemployment.

I guess Kanjo’s team can reply, “Thanks for helping us clinch the title!”  Although maybe it’s not quite so exciting as that.  Kanjorksi has presided over 10% unemployment in a recession, Barletta 15%.  Who is better for jobs, again?

Statistics expose 26-year incumbent’s failed economic policies

August 31st

Hazleton, PA – The unemployment rate in Paul Kanjorski’s congressional district is now the highest in the entire state of Pennsylvania, continuing to show that the 26-year incumbent’s failed economic policies are destroying our regional economy and costing area residents thousands of jobs.

Kanjorski’s district has “significantly higher unemployment” than the state and the national average, according to the Scranton Times. In the same article, a professor of economics stated, “Being the worst in the state doesn’t speak well of our economy.” (8/31/10)

It also doesn’t speak well of Kanjorski’s economic policies.

The regional unemployment rate is now the highest in Pennsylvania at 10.4 percent – a number that has seen “a fairly steady ascent from 8.8 percent in July 2009,” according to the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader (8/31/10). That mirrors Kanjorski’s lock-step votes for the government takeover of health care and the destructive energy tax known as cap and trade.

“The official unemployment data provides irrefutable proof that Kanjorski’s actions have severely hurt our region. It’s no wonder he is afraid to meet the people of his district face-to-face at public town meetings. Kanjorski and Nancy Pelosi promised us that if they passed the $800 billion stimulus bill, unemployment wouldn’t go above 8 percent. Clearly, that was a lie, and both our unemployment rate and national debt continue to rise. Kanjorski’s reckless vote to take over our health care system directly cost the jobs of at least 100 Sallie Mae employees in Hanover Township. Many other Kanjorski votes – for cap and trade, to raise taxes and fees 150 times – have cost thousands of other jobs right here in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Shawn Kelly, spokesman for the campaign of Lou Barletta. “At the end of the day, Kanjorski only cares about one job – his.”

Today, Paul Kanjorski, in conjunction with Bob Casey, will announce federal funding for an innovation center in Wilkes-Barre.

Allow me to engage in some augury and channel for you the coming Barletta response.

Hazleton, Pa – Lou Barletta took time today to respond to Paul Kanjorski’s announcement of federal funding for an innovation center.  “Paul Kanjorski will stop at nothing to invest in this region,” Barletta said, disgusted.  “From State Department jobs, to wind farms, to hybrid manufacturers, this endless barrage of good news for the local economy proves that he is a liberal, Pelosi-loving Democrat and voters won’t have that.

“I am 100% against federal funding of anything.  Therefore, I am against innovation.  Innovation is stifling and time-consuming.  Instead, people need to be spending their time driving illegal brown people from our land, as St. Patrick did to the snakes in Ireland.  It’s the only way to end unemployment, which, even though Hazleton’s is nearly 16%, I promise I will lower.  It’s the Mexicans’ fault.  I swear,” Barletta said, pointing to a chart riddled with stick figures in sombreros.

“Voters in Northeastern Pennsylvania won’t be fooled by Kanjorski’s tireless fight for the region,” Barletta said.

Paul Kanjorski has released his first campaign commercial, hitting Lou Barletta for all the wonderful things Lou Barletta has done as Mayor, like, for example, ushering his city into an era of the highest unemployment in the state.  Go Lou!  Lou has had 10 years to fix his city and only served to dig it into a hole.  I guess digging us into a hole is all Republican electeds can do.  At least they have something for their resume.

As per the ad, add a few other items to the resume:

Barletta hiked Hazleton property taxes 70%.  Obviously, he’s a tax and spend Republican.

Barletta hiked income taxes 20%.  Again, tax and spend Republican.

So, elect Barletta, and see higher taxes and higher unemployment.  Usually, Democrats raise taxes and lower unemployment.  Most Republicans fight for lower taxes and higher unemployment.  Not Lou.  He’s the worst of both worlds.

Check it out for yourselves:

A release from Paul Kanjorski’s camp, blasting Barletta for very stupidly coming out against jobs.  The release has an amusing point, in the GOP’s quest to be the Party of “No” Barletta has even decided to extend that to jobs.  Enjoy!

Lou Barletta’s dangerous demagoguery

would cost Northeastern PA jobs

WILKES-BARRE, PA – Yesterday, within minutes of Congressman Paul Kanjorski’s announcement that Northeastern Pennsylvania was under consideration to be the home for the Department of State’s Foreign Affairs Security Training Center (FASTC), Lou Barletta issued a press release vowing to fight against the Center, which would employ up to 1000 federal employees.

“I realize that Mayor Barletta is increasingly desperate to leave behind the mess he created in Hazleton and will do almost anything to win in his third race for Congress,” said Ed Mitchell, Kanjorski campaign spokesman.  “But even I never thought he would stoop so low as to oppose the creation of up to one thousand solid, good-paying jobs for Northeastern Pennsylvania.  Shame on Lou Barletta.

“Lou Barletta is always ‘Mr. No’ when it comes to any jobs or progress that Congressman Kanjorski proposes. He would fit right in with the ‘No’ mentality of Republicans in Congress.”

“In his hastily drafted, incendiary press release, Barletta recklessly attempts to inflame opposition by portraying the training center as a ‘military-style training camp’ and a ‘bomb range’ that would ‘put residents of this district in danger.’”

“The center is nothing close to that. No one will be in danger, or even inconvenienced,” said Mitchell.

“In fact, the training center would employ between 850 and 1000 permanent federal employees and would annually train 10,000 students who work for Diplomatic Security, the division of the State Department that is responsible for protecting the safety of Americans overseas at U.S. Embassies and other American installations.

“Aside from the jobs, there will be ancillary benefits like a boost to our hotel and restaurant businesses.

“Apparently there is no limit to how low Lou Barletta will go with his dangerous demagoguery.  He is even willing to oppose the American heroes who risk their lives to protect American personnel and facilities overseas.

“Perhaps most disturbing is the speed with which he attacked this project; he clearly thought he could score quick political points against the Congressman without taking the time to learn anything about this project,” said Mitchell.  “Lou Barletta is not on our side.  He’s always for the status quo. No wonder Hazleton has the highest unemployment rate in the state.”

Believe it or not, Lou Barletta actually issued a press release in which he announced his opposition to job creation in his district.  This is not satire (unlike my Marino piece, mwahaha).

Yes, it’s out there.  The Republican plan for the middle class has always been to disenfranchise us to the betterment of the rich.  Just look at the death of upward mobility and the concentration of wealth into the hands of the wealthy.  Well, Barletta is getting bold, blatantly letting us know that he wants us to be poor and unemployed.

I urge you to read these excerpts from Barletta’s release, and then the follow-up afterwards.

“In an election year, we expect Paul Kanjorski to come up with some wild ideas in his quest to retain power, but this one is hard to believe. Kanjorski is clearly out of touch if he believes the residents of Conyngham Township – and the miles around the site that will bear the brunt of repeated bomb blasts – would be in favor of this project. For Kanjorski to take a dangerous project that the people of Maryland rejected and now try to pass it on to the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania shows how desperate he is,” said Shawn Kelly, spokesman for Lou Barletta, Hazleton mayor and candidate for Congress.

Lou Barletta said, “I will never put residents of this district in danger by supporting a project like this. What guarantees are we going to have that children will not sneak onto this bomb range? What will this project do to home values? What businesses are going to move into a town that’s rocked by 500 explosions a year? Mr. Kanjorski’s project will completely destroy the area around it, and I’m going to fight it.

“We need good jobs and real answers to our problems, not more of Kanjorski’s fantasy projects – least of all ones that will turn our communities into bomb ranges. I believe Northeastern Pennsylvania needs jobs, but not at any cost – and certainly not in exchange for 500 bomb blasts a year.”

Okay.  So there you have it.

Now, many have focused, and rightly so, on the word “potential” in Kanjorski’s release.  Why announce “potential” jobs?  They may never come!

Right.  But Paul Kanjorski is in the fight of his life.  If this doesn’t happen, then he will be absolutely hammered into oblivion in November.  I’m guessing that he did the political calculus and the chances for this project to come to fruition are relatively high.  In fact, immediately following Kanjorski’s announcement, I got this document from his office, which gives a boatload of details about the project.

Barletta’s criticism, that this is going to be a military camp with bombs going off left and right, doesn’t make much sense.  The State Department isn’t a military institution, last I checked.  And Hillary Clinton, whom Kanjorski supported bigtime in the 2008 primary, is in charge of the State Department.  I think that only bodes well for the project happening.

The issue here is pretty clear: Kanjorski is working to create jobs and Barletta doesn’t like it.  Why not?  Well, every time the jobs issue comes up, voters have to be reminded that Lou Barletta has run Hazleton into the ground.  Hazleton has the highest unemployment rate IN THE STATE.  That’s right, in a state with thousands of towns, he somehow is on top.  You have to be pretty incompetent to pull that off.

Dramatic title, yes, but deserved.  Paul Kanjorski has been the herald of good, possibly great news left and right.

Last week, we learned from him that a hybrid car manufacturer is looking at putting its headquarters in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

That’s 1,000 to 4,000 jobs.

Today, he is set to announce a project that will create 1,000 jobs.  Tune into your local news sources at 1 PM (if they report it around then, who knows).  I’ll try to put it up as soon as I learn.

So, Paul Kanjorski heralds epic job creation.  Lou Barletta heralds the highest unemployment rate in the state.  The choice is clear.

And, in an enjoyable slap in the face to “Boohoo” Lou Barletta, who needs a few, but would probably weep uncontrollably if he got them, Paul Kanjorski will be opening his Hazleton office later today with much fanfare.

KANJORSKI AND AMERICANS FOR FINANCIAL REFORM EXPLAIN HOW

From the Kanjorski office, on the Wall Street Reform Bill.  It’s important to recognize that Lou Barletta, as the Wall Street candidate, would’ve voted against Wall Street Reform.  I guess he prefers it when the working class suffers at the hands of free-wheeling CEOs.

WALL STREET REFORM BILL WILL BETTER PROTECT NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIANS

Kanjorski Was a Leader in Congress to Write and Pass This Historic New Law

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11), Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises, and the coalition group, Americans for Financial Reform (AFR), spoke with Northeastern Pennsylvanians about some of the key provisions in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 that will directly impact them and ensure they are better protected.  For the past two years, Congressman Kanjorski has been working on this legislation, enacted on July 21, which provides the most sweeping financial regulatory reforms since the Great Depression.  AFR is a coalition of more than 250 national, state and local consumer, labor, investor, civil rights, community, small business, and senior citizen organizations that have worked to advocate for Wall Street reform legislation.

“In July, I participated in history when I stood with the President as he signed the Wall Street reform bill, that I worked for years on, into law,” said Congressman Kanjorski.  “This legislation will impact each and every one of us as it works to rein in the reckless actions of Wall Street and better protect every American.  There are many pieces of this bill that will directly benefit Northeastern Pennsylvanians and all Americans, including many of the pieces of that I wrote.  Specifically, the law works to end the era of “too big to fail” financial institutions and prevent future bailouts, better protect American families from abusive mortgage practices, and create a home foreclosure prevention program nationwide based on Pennsylvania’s successful initiative, among other provisions.  The American public has unfortunately felt the severe consequences of Wall Street’s dire mistakes.  We still have much work to do as too many people are still struggling financially as a result of the recession.  This new law takes giant leaps in the right direction and will work to change that course to better protect people’s families, small businesses, and retirement savings.”

The new Wall Street reform law includes many provisions that will specifically work to help protect American families and businesses from facing much of the financial turmoil that has resulted in the past two years.  Some of these provisions include:

Preventing future bailouts and end the era of “too big to fail.”

The Kanjorski “too big to fail” amendment empowers federal regulators to rein in and dismantle financial firms that are so large, inter-connected, or risky that their collapse would put at risk the entire American economic system.  Therefore, American taxpayers should no longer be on the hook for bailouts, as financial companies would not be able to become “too big to fail.”

“Congressman Kanjorski has been a leader in Congress to reform the way Wall Street operates and better protect every Northeastern Pennsylvanian and American,” said Megan DeSmedt, Pennsylvania state director for Americans for Financial Reform.  “The Kanjorski amendment, which Congressman Kanjorski authored, is a key provision in the new law which should end the need for future taxpayer bailouts.  This amendment will protect the American public from experiencing the financial turmoil that we have felt for the past two years.  This landmark provision provides sweeping authority to try to prevent such circumstances from happening again.  Americans for Financial Reform applauds and thanks Congressman Kanjorski for his diligent work to protect working families and responsible businesses by cracking down on the abuses and the irresponsible behavior of big banks, credit card companies, and Wall Street insiders.”

Improving mortgage servicing standards.

For nine years, Congressman Kanjorski has been working on these issues, which first came to his attention because of predatory mortgage lending problems in the Poconos.  His 2004 hearing in the Poconos on this issue led to the introduction of his comprehensive bipartisan bill in 2005 to protect consumers.  Those bipartisan reforms have passed the House in 2007, 2009, and 2010, and are now law.

The new law establishes broad and comprehensive protections against abusive mortgages.  It requires lenders to evaluate borrowers’ abilities to repay loans.  The bill also eliminates the incentives to steer borrowers into loans they cannot afford, limits total fees to no more than five percent for almost all loans, and bans many common predatory lending practices.

“Congressman Kanjorski has been providing critical leadership in dealing with mortgage foreclosures since the beginning of this century because of the problems that arose in the Poconos that first brought this issue to his attention,” said Maureen McGrath, a resident of Monroe County and representative of the National Advocacy Against Mortgage Servicing Fraud.  “In 2004, Congressman Kanjorski held a Financial Services Subcommittee hearing in the Poconos and he has continued to work tirelessly to bring mortgage and appraisal reform to the nation.  I want to take this opportunity to make public all that Congressman Kanjorski has done for his constituents, for Northeastern Pennsylvania, and for the nation, and to thank Congressman Kanjorski for his support in this long uphill battle.”

Helping families to stay in their homes.

Congressman Kanjorski advocated on behalf of a national program to offer emergency bridge loans to help unemployed workers with reasonable prospects for reemployment to keep their homes.  This new national initiative is based on the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s Homeowners’ Emergency Mortgage Assistance program in Pennsylvania (HEMAP), which since 1983 has saved 43,000 homes from foreclosure by helping to cover mortgage payments until homeowners find new jobs.

“I’m a single mother and a part-time student at Wilkes University,” said Jennifer Chappell, a resident of Long Pond, PA and beneficiary of HEMAP.  “After returning from service in Iraq, I bought a home within my means to house my family.  I started attending Wilkes University, but the VA was not yet releasing its education benefits which I should have been receiving, and as a result the expenses for school quickly added up and I was unable to pay my mortgage.  I applied for and received a loan through HEMAP which made it possible for my daughter and me to stay in our home and avoid foreclosure.  I am now able to work and go to school at the same time.  Without HEMAP, my child and I would have been out of a home.  I greatly thank Congressman Kanjorski for advocating to make a national program similar to HEMAP.  After experiencing such a frightening situation myself, I have no doubt that such a program at a national level will help many others who face losing their homes.”

Protecting consumers.

The Wall Street reform law creates a new independent watchdog, housed in the Federal Reserve, with the authority to ensure that American consumers get the clear, accurate information they need to shop for mortgages, credit cards and other financial products. This new consumer protection bureau will protect Americans from hidden fees, abusive loan terms, and deceptive practices.

Protecting small businesses from unreasonable fees.

The new law creates new protections for small businesses because too many of them are facing out-of-control swipe fees that banks and other credit and debit card issuers charge these businesses for debit or prepaid-card purchases.  As a result, small businesses stand to save billions, as debit swipe fees amount to about $20 billion a year.

Investing in local communities.

The law provides $1 billion through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program to states and localities to combat the ugly impact on neighborhood of the foreclosure crisis — such as falling property values and increased crime — by rehabilitating, redeveloping, and reusing abandoned and foreclosed properties.

Assisting people with personal financial knowledge.

The Wall Street reform law allows consumers free access to their credit score if their score negatively affects them in a financial transaction or a hiring decision.  It also gives consumers access to credit score disclosures as part of an adverse action and risk-based pricing notice.

Congressman Kanjorski wrote many other key provisions included in the Wall Street reform law which will better protect investors and enhance the powers of securities regulators, register and regulate hedge fund managers, reform the operations and regulation of credit rating agencies, and create a Federal office focused on insurance matters.

In Paul Kanjorski’s response to PaternoGate (Barletta criticized him for not loving PSU football enough, I guess), he gives a nice shout out to fellow West Sider, Matt McGloin, who plays for Penn State.

From Kanjorski:  “Joe Paterno is a hero of Pennsylvania. His dedicated work and leadership both on and off the football field is of great service to both Penn State and the Commonwealth. In addition to his many feats on the field, he has encouraged one of the highest graduation rates among college football players showing his dedication to both academics and football. He also creates an atmosphere that fosters emerging talent, as can be seen with Matt McGloin, a West Scranton graduate and former walk-on, who may become the team’s starting quarterback. Joe Paterno has fostered great pride in Penn State from all Pennsylvanians. At this time, Congress should focus its efforts on creating jobs in our communities and reviving the economy, rather than politicizing football. This is where my focus has been and where it will continue to be.”

Now, I’m not sure how Joe Paterno even matters in this race.  What does football have to do with politics?  I know in Luzerne County, they vote in football players, so maybe that has something to do with it, but given Skrepenack’s conviction, maybe they learned.  Barletta obviously feels otherwise.  A bold gamble!

Lou Barletta’s campaign must be reaching the desperate stage, just as Tom Marino’s in the 10th did.  In Barletta’s case, he is criticizing Kanjorski over not signing some letter in honor of Joe Paterno.

Here is a quote from the release: “By failing to sign this letter, Kanjorski shows once again how out of touch he is.”

That’s all you got, Mr. Barletta?  I mean, Kanjorski points out that Hazleton has the highest unemployment on the state and you point out how he didn’t sign a letter for a football coach.

I can’t wait to see the next headline:  Kanjorski Refuses to Name New Cat ‘Mittens’, Barletta Outraged

Paul Kanjorski has had a busy day in terms of press releases.  I will publish anything I find relevant when it comes to press releases, so today is a pretty relevant day, it seems (I get a lot more releases than I put up).

Kanjorski scored some points with me by directly confronting a company about outsourcing.  It’s a shame that any company puts profits before people, but such is the nature of capitalism.  At least we can complain about it.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) released the following statement after meeting with Christine Marcks, President of Prudential Retirement division, about the recent layoffs at Prudential’s office in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

“This afternoon, I had an open and frank discussion with one of the top executives from Prudential who is responsible for the decision to lay off employees at its Montage Mountain facility,” said Congressman Kanjorski.  “Though Prudential and many other companies face business pressures during these difficult economic times, it is incredibly disappointing that Prudential would choose to not only reduce its workforce, but also outsource those jobs to foreign workers.  Not only does this put American workers out of jobs, but it also negatively impacts our economy.  Prudential assured me that they are continuing to explore alternative methods to reach their financial goals, and I will continue to monitor their actions.  This conversation is not finished.”

“We must incentivize American companies to keep jobs here and hire American workers, and I will continue to work to create new policies to help maximize American employment at companies like Prudential,” added Congressman Kanjorski.  “Ms. Marcks stated that Prudential is fully committed to keeping this facility in Northeastern Pennsylvania and that there are currently 29 open positions at that facility in different divisions.  She added that any employees affected by the recent layoffs are encouraged to apply for these jobs.”

Congressman Kanjorski concluded, “I am deeply frustrated by Prudential’s decision to reduce its workforce in the area.  While the company claims that it is impacted by the difficult economy, so too are the people and families in Northeastern Pennsylvania.  Prudential’s actions are certainly not unnoticed.  I will continue to closely examine alternatives for these employees and to Prudential’s actions. Since I began my service in Congress, I have worked first and foremost to create jobs in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and I will continue to do everything that I can to help keep jobs in our communities.”

Lou Barletta outraised Paul Kanjorski this time around.  Barletta pulled $212,000 and Kanjo pulled $175,000.  Despite this, Kanjo has an epic advantage in terms of cash-on-hand, over $1,000,000 compared to Barletta’s quarter million.

Barletta released a poll saying he was up 19 points over his opponent, but since none of the details of the poll or its cross-tabs or any of that were released, the poll may as well not exist as its veracity can’t be verified.  It was an internal poll commissioned by Barletta anyway.  My point is that this lead can easily evaporate as soon as Kanjo starts spending money.  A few ads pointing out that Barletta led his city to the highest unemployment rate in the state, over 15%, and another ad pointing out Kanjo’s role in Wall Street Reform, particularly the “Too Big To Fail” amendment, and, well, a phony 19 point lead might turn into a real deficit.

Paul Kanjorski played an integral role in the just-passed Wall Street Reform Bill and deserves credit.  Here’s a press release from his office:

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11), Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises, applauded the Senate’s passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010.  Chairman Kanjorski participated as one of the few negotiators to resolve the differences between the original House and Senate versions of this legislation.  The Senate approved the final agreement on this historic bill by a vote of 60-39, clearing the bill for the President’s signature.

“Today, I am very pleased that the Senate followed the House in voting in favor of passing and implementing the most sweeping financial regulatory reforms since the Great Depression,” said Chairman Kanjorski.  “This is an enormous achievement for the American people.  I, and many other Members of Congress, have been working on this legislation for over two years now.  Now is the time for action to rein in Wall Street.  This bill ensures that American families and small businesses will be better protected in the future from the wizards of Wall Street, and it takes strong steps to protect our economy from Wall Street’s casino culture.”

Chairman Kanjorski added, “The Kanjorski amendment, which aims to end the era of ‘too big to fail’ and prevent future bailouts, is one of the strongest provisions to hold Wall Street back from harming our economy in the future.  MIT Economics Professor Simon Johnson has called the Kanjorski amendment a powerful tool for reining in Wall Street.  Many Wall Street lobbyists have also viewed the Kanjorski amendment as one of the biggest threats to their profitability. We fought back and won.  By passing the Kanjorski amendment, Congress has sided with the American people, not Wall Street’s titans.  We will no longer allow financial firms to become so big, interconnected, concentrated, or risky that their failure could threaten the stability of the American economy or rock the credit of small businesses and Americans’ retirement nest eggs.”

“During the past two years, too many Americans have faced serious financial problems as a result of the economic crisis,” concluded Chairman Kanjorski.  “In sum, this bill contains sweeping authority to help avoid future taxpayer-funded bailouts, prevent financial companies from threatening the stability of our economy, and protect the American public from once again experiencing such tremendous financial turmoil.  I am therefore heartened that the Senate followed the House in passing this thoughtful, transparent, comprehensive, and sweeping financial reform package.  We will all be better off because of this legislation.  I look forward to watching the President sign it into law.”

Click here to view an op-ed published yesterday by Simon Johnson, a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund.  The op-ed explains how the Kanjorski amendment relates to anti-trust laws where the power of firms can be constrained.

Click here to view an article from the New York Times which states that former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr., believes that the creation of the systemic risk council is “perhaps the most important aspect of the bill and crucial to preventing the next crisis.”  The article explains that the council has “the power to shut firms down or change practices that might put the system at risk,” referring to the Kanjorski amendment.

In addition to shepherding the Kanjorski “too big to fail” amendment through the legislative process, Chairman Kanjorski played a pivotal role in drafting many of the bill’s reforms, including provisions to better protect investors and enhance the powers of securities regulators, register and regulate hedge fund managers, reform the operations and regulation of credit rating agencies, create a Federal office focused on insurance matters, improve mortgage servicing and appraisal rules, and create a national program based on Pennsylvania’s successful experiences in providing bridge loans to help temporarily unemployed workers keep their homes.

So, the Tarrance Group, a polling firm, hired by Lou Barletta came out with a big surprise, they said the person who paid them to put out a poll has favorable results for their employer.  The numbers, though, are disturbing.  Barletta supposedly has a 19-point advantage over Kanjorski, 56-37.  This is abysmal.

I don’t want to be represented by Barletta.  I just don’t.

Lou Barletta is hitting the airwaves with his first campaign commercial.  It highlights all of his accomplishments as Mayor!

He also touts his support of anti-immigration policy.  That may play well in this area, given a new poll saying NEPA supports Arizona’s law overwhelmingly.  The sad thing is that the Constitution explicitly states that the authority to deal with immigration issues is the Federal government’s alone, which means the Arizona law and those who support it are blatantly ignoring the Constitution.

Regardless, the ad is totally ironic, of course, given that Hazleton has the highest rate of unemployment in the state.  Go Lou!  Five percentage points higher than the state average!  That’s an accomplishment to be proud of!

Vote Lou, the guy who ushered his city into a period of economic decline that far exceeds the rest of the country!

Kanjorski, I’m sure, will point this out over and over.  Given his getting in front of the Prudential lay off issue, going so far as to meet with Prudential officials, Kanjo will come off as a job-creator.  There’s no way Barletta can make any kind of argument that he’ll create jobs.

With the economic climate the way it is, Kanjorski stands to benefit from a contrast between him and his opponent.

Republican Lou Barletta has challenged Democrat Paul Kanjorski to five debates this fall in the race for the 11^th Congressional District seat.  This is a good sign for Kanjorski, because candidates usually don’t issue those kinds of challenges unless they think they’ll benefit from the press and their opponent will suffer. Sestak challenged Specter multiple times, only one debate materialized.  Corey O’Brien challenged Kanjo to about fifty debates, none materialized.

Look for Kanjorski to accept maybe one debate.

Mark Cour, over at Circumlocution for Dummies, has taken issue with Congressman Kanjorski of late over some comments he made about videotaping.  Kanjo won’t do a Town Hall because he doesn’t want Barletta sending in YouTube “gotcha journalists” to somehow sabotage him.

Mark’s point is well taken on many levels:  Kanjo evidently did the same to Barletta last time around!  Kanjo’s campaign paid somebody, who then pretended to be a Barletta supporter, to videotape Barletta in the hopes of getting him on tape saying something stupid (hint: hired cameraman not needed for that).

Paul Kanjorski should never use that as a reason not to do a town hall.  Fear of cameras isn’t an excuse, people should be able to hear their Congressmen.  On top of that, cameras are a good thing.  What if I couldn’t make it?  YouTube is a great way for me to see what happened.

The only legitimate fear Kanjo could have is that a belligerent person may show up, like when Arlen Specter had to deal with somebody at a townhall who got in his face, screaming.  But let that be on videotape!  It just discredits the opposite side, because most people don’t react well to obnoxious radicals (insert joke about this blog here).  Barletta’s criticism of Kanjo, that it was mean to have called constituents “nuts”, is a stretch, and shows that Barletta will latch onto anything.  He needs to, as Barletta tends not to smell like roses anymore than Kanjo.

Gort has a pretty nice defense of Paul Kanjorski and, after re-watching the clip, I can understand that the context was murky.  It still sounds bad.  Barletta actually did choose to go after Kanjo, demanding an apology (did the brown people in Hazleton get an apology after your racist law was struck down?) and Kanjorski’s response was very solid.  Rather than apologize, he hits Republicans for creating non-issues.  Good move!

Here’s Barletta:

Hazleton, PA – Hazleton Mayor and 11th Congressional District candidate Lou Barletta demanded that Paul Kanjorski apologize for comments he made during a U.S. House of Representatives hearing Wednesday in which he called some people “defective” and said minorities are not “good American people.”

Kanjorski said: “We’re giving relief to people that I deal with in my office every day now, unfortunately. But because of the longevity of this recession, these are people – and they’re not minorities and they’re not defective and they’re not all the things you’d like to insinuate that these programs are about – these are average, good American people.”

“Kanjorski must apologize for saying some people are ‘defective.’ He said Wednesday that ‘defective people’ are not ‘average, good American people,’ so who are ‘they?’” Mayor Barletta asked. “Also, Kanjorski, in his own words, said Wednesday that minorities are not ‘average, good American people.’ This is outrageous and shows how out of touch Kanjorski is with the real world.”

Here’s Kanjorski:

Congressman Kanjorski is tired of people, and too often Republicans,
criticizing solid and needed government programs that are meant to help
Americans who face tough economic times, often beyond their control, as
too many people are experiencing right now. In his impassioned plea for
conferees to adopt Pennsylvania’s model program to help homeowners
facing foreclosure to stay in their homes, the Congressman was stating
that many people insinuate that those who benefit from government
programs are those not looking for jobs, but that those suggestions are
wildly inaccurate.

As Congressman Kanjorski stated, these programs are meant to help people
and families throughout the country who are unable to afford basic
necessities, including those in the Congressman’s district in
Northeastern Pennsylvania who he hears from every day. Anyone trying to
politicize this issue clearly doesn’t get it. Congressman Kanjorski is
fighting for all Americans who are struggling. Any statement saying
otherwise is grossly misinformed. The full video clip, rather than an
edited version, speaks for itself and doesn’t take the Congressman’s
remarks out of context.

UPDATE:  Here is a link to Kanjorksi’s House page, which has links to statements from Chakah Fatah, Maxine Waters, Eli Cummings, and quite a few others defending Kanjo.

So, Lou Barletta decided to follow his Republican overlords, who in turn followed their corporate overlords, and is now siding with BP in this oil spill fiasco.  While it’s a shame that BP has to pay for what it’s done, it is only fair.  Poor guys.  I’ll give them a hug.  After they fix this.

This is the money quote from Barletta regarding the oil spill: “The Obama administration should keep political scheming at the water’s edge.”

Hmm… so making BP pay is scheming?  I guess he’s ready to apologize, Joe Barton style.

This is the Republican Party.  This is why Barletta cannot win.

On one hand, he criticizes Paul Kanjorski for not having enough Town Hall meetings.  On the other, Barletta defends corporate exploitation and decimation of the Gulf.  Nice.

Brian Kelly, the Teabagger candidate who spoiled Corey O’Brien’s chances (possibly) to be Paul Kanjorski last month, is urging O’Brien to endorse Lou Barletta.

In his letter, he quotes me (gasp, I’m being used for evil!), when I commented on why Kanjorksi isn’t an ideal candidate.  Particularly, I pointed out that Kanjorski’s argument is that he’s got seniority falls flat when he didn’t vote for Chris Carney for the Appropriations Committee.

While it’s a passionate and believable attack on Kanjorksi, in Kelly’s entire statement, he doesn’t actually point out why Barletta would be good.  I suspect that’s because Barletta has nothing to offer except for an ill-fated crusade against brown people.  I voted for O’Brien not just because he’s not Kanjorski, but the man has energy and would’ve done good for the area.  But Barletta, not so much.

Would O’Brien endorse Kanjorski?  I doubt it, but then, if Barletta wins, two years from now, Corey will run and try to unseat him.  So the political calculus might make it viable, despite any lingering resentment O’Brien may have of Kelly.