Pollster: Pa. will be closer than most surveys suggest

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Tom Murse

We wrote last week about a Susquehanna Polling and Research survey conducted for the Pennsylvania Republican Party that showed a 1 point margin between President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney. The poll found a far narrower margin than other recent independent statewide surveys show, and a spokesman for the state Democratic Party called the discovery of a dead-heat “complete fiction.”

Today the Susquehanna pollsters defended their findings, calling a double-digit lead for Obama “not believable” and saying their methodology best reflects the level of turnout on Nov. 6. ” … Turnout this November will not be anywhere near ’08 levels when 5.9 million votes were cast,” the pollsters wrote.

“It is simply unrealistic to think Obama can or will win the Keystone State by the same double-digit margin he won by four years ago when you consider that most state and national polls continue to show most voters unhappy with the direction of the country after two straight years of unemployment at 8% or higher,” the pollsters wrote.

You can read the entire Susquehanna Polling post here.

(H/T PoliticsPa.com)


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Obama +8 over Romney in new Pa. poll

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Tom Murse

A new poll has President Barack Obama leading Republican Mitt Romney by 8 percentage points in Pennsylvania. The Mercyhurst Center for Applied Politics poll shows 48 percent supporting Obama for second term and 40 percent backing Romney, a former Massachusetts governor. Only 6 percent say that they remain undecided.

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The week ahead in Harrisburg: Captain Ed Davis Edition

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Tom Murse

A measure authored by Rep. Mike Sturla would add the word “Captain” before Davis’ name on the sign designating the Dillerville Road bridge in his honor. (2008 Lancaster Newspapers file photo)

Several local lawmakers will see action on their legislation in Harrisburg this week. Here’s a look at what’s coming up, according to House Republicans:

*** The House will vote today on final passage of Rep. Mike Sturla‘s HB 2162, which would change the name of the newly replaced Dillerville Road bridge in Lancaster from the “Edward Anthony Davis Memorial Bridge” to the “Captain Edward Anthony Davis Memorial Bridge.” The backstory here involves a legislative error in the original naming of the bridge for the Navy captain and prisoner of war in Vietnam for more than seven years.

As the Scribbler wrote in 2011: “A Senate bill, sponsored by former state Sen. Gibson Armstrong, applied Davis’s name to the bridge. Armstrong now says he was surprised when the bridge name was unveiled at the site. ‘It was a mix up,’ he explains. ‘It was never our intent not to have ‘Captain’ included.’ The Senate bill referred to ‘Captain’ Davis all the way through, but inadvertently left out ‘Captain’ in the sentence actually designating the bridge’s name.”

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The worst fundraising letter in political history?

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Tom Murse

Scott Howell, a Democrat running against 78-year-old Republican U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch in Utah, had this to say of the incumbent in a recent fundraising letter: ”Orrin Hatch is not a bad guy. But he is an old guy.” Here’s the letter, which was posted by Daily Caller contributor Matt K. Lewis:

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Massachusetts mayors to make whistle stop in Lancaster for Obama

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Tom Murse

A trio of mayors from Massachusetts will criticize Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Republicans who want to end federal funding for Amtrak during a “whistle stop tour” that will roll into the Lancaster train station at 12:45 Wednesday afternoon.

“This would devastate the millions of Pennsylvanians who rely on Amtrak not only to connect them with the rest of the state and mid-Atlantic region, but also to provide good-paying jobs and critical investments in local infrastructure,” the Obama campaign says. “Last year alone, over 500,000 Pennsylvania riders accessed the railways via the Lancaster station.”

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NAACP sets voter ID clinic in Lancaster

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Tom Murse

The Lancaster Branch of the NAACP and a host of downtown churches will hold a clinic on the state’s new voter identification requirements on Sept. 24. The clinic will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Crispus Attucks Community Center, 407 Howard Ave. It is free and open to the public.

The featured speakers will be PennDOT spokesman Greg Penny; Norman Bristol-Colon, president and CEO of The Progreso Group in Lancaster; Barry Kaufman, executive director of Common Cause of Pennsylvania; John Jordan, director of civic engagement for the NAACP state conference; the Rev. Louis Butcher of Brightside Baptist Church in Lancaster; and Nelson Polite Sr. of the 5th Masonic District, Prince Hall Grand Lodge in Lancaster.

The clinic will be moderated by the Rev. Roland Forbes, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Lancaster.

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Debate schedule for legislative, congressional races in Lancaster County

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Tom Murse

Democratic state Rep. Mike Sturla, right, speaks at a 2010 debate with Republican challenger Tom Garman.

Here’s a continuously updated list of free, public forums between candidates for legislative and congressional seats in Lancaster County.

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Romney: ‘Middle-income’ families make $200,000 to $250,000 a year (and less)

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Tom Murse

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney / The Associated Press

The Associated Press has updated its story to read:

The Republican presidential nominee defined it Friday as income of $200,000 to $250,000 a year and less.

“No one can say my plan is going to raise taxes on middle-income people, because principle number one is (to) keep the burden down on middle-income taxpayers,” Romney told host George Stephanopoulos.

“Is $100,000 middle income?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“No, middle income is $200,000 to $250,000 and less,” Romney responded.

His campaign later clarified that Romney was referencing household income, not individual income.

The Associated Press in initially reported:

“Mitt Romney is promising to reduce taxes on middle-income Americans. But how does he define “middle-income”? The Republican presidential nominee defined it as income of $200,000 to $250,000 a year. Romney commented during an interview broadcast Friday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“The Census Bureau reported this week that the median household income – the midpoint for the nation – is just over $50,000.

“The definition of “middle income” or the “middle class” is politically charged. Both presidential candidates are fighting to win over working-class voters. President Barack Obama has defined “middle class” as income up to $250,000 a year. Obama wants to extend Bush-era tax cuts for those making less than $250,000. Romney wants to extend the tax cuts for everyone.”


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Toomey not onboard with QE3

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Tom Murse

Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey

Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey said today the decision by the Federal Reserve to buy $40 billion a month in mortgage bonds until the U.S. economy shows a sustained recovery is a mistake.

“The problems damaging our nation’s economy are not caused by our monetary policy. Rather, they are caused by our unsustainable deficit, new regulatory burdens, and the threat of a looming debilitating tax increase,” Toomey said in a prepared statement to the media this morning.

“Printing more money might reflate certain assets in the short term, but a third round of quantitative easing will not solve our underlying fiscal mess or put our economy on the right track. This mistake will likely lead to future inflation, and we’ll have little to show for it, especially those who are looking for jobs.”


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O’Brien for Senate picks up endorsement from Sestak

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Tom Murse

Democratic state Senate candidate Tom O’Brien

Former U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak will endorse Democratic state Senate hopeful Tom O’Brien at a fundraiser this weekend. O’Brien, who is challenging first-term Republican state Sen. Lloyd Smucker in the Nov. 6 election, will pick up Sestak’s endorsement at a Saturday fundraiser at the Lancaster Arts Hotel, the Democratic Party here said today. Smucker represents the state’s 13th Senate district.

The local Democrats were among the few county committees to endorse Sestak in his 2010 primary campaign for the U.S. Senate against Arlen Specter. O’Brien is expected to outline his plan, beginning in 2113, geared to attract 25,000 new jobs within the first year and thousands of additional jobs in the future. “They will be good-paying jobs that will support working families, grow the middle class and help promote the American dream,” said O’Brien in a written statement.


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